The Games People Play
by Lionchilde
Summary: Following Company of Thieves, Sam explains to Vala what it means when a little boy pulls on a girl's pigtails. Daniel reaps the consequences, and the team tags along. DV, SJ, CC COMPLETE.
1. Pulling Pigtails

Like most of my Daniel/Vala fic, _The Games People Play_ started out being written for The Noble French Fry's livejournal community, sg-challenges. Most of it has been written for another challenge, so the length of chapters is not consistent. I thought about re-ordering it, but that was too confusing. 

It began as a simple one-shot, an episode tag for 10x09, _Company of Thieves._ As usual, my ideas grew between episodes and during the time between the airing of the two halves of Season 10. It bears no resemblance to the second half of the season whatsover, because I purposely avoided anything that might bring spoiler-ish influences into my writing. In fact, I sort of took an unplanned break from SG-1/SGA fandom altogether over the last few months, and still haven't seen the second half of the season at all.

Games is mostly a humor piece, or a series of them. Some of it is serious, but most of it is honestly the silliest side of SG-1 that I have ever tried to depict. My hope, though, is that even while being ridiculous, things like the Boot Scoot chapter and the ski trip also reflect the friendship of the team and the real love that Daniel and Vala (and Sam and Jack) have for one another.

I've moved the fic over to this comm from my personal LJ simply for the sake of convenience. It's getting too long to post individual links to each chapter, and I've decided that I need a comprensive list of my D/V fic, and the best way to facillitate that is to house it all in the same place.

Anyway, to those of you who have read the story before on my personal journal, thanks for sticking with me. I'm sorry for leaving you hanging so long. To those who're seeing the fic for the first time, welcome to the fun. Come let your hair down. This story has been an absolute blast for me to write, and it's helped me remember why I loved SG-1 from the beginning. I hope you'll have as much of a good time reading it as I'm having writing it.

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There were tears in her eyes, and he knew he put them there. He hadn't expected it, couldn't quite believe it, but he'd seen it before she turned away. He hated himself for it, but she didn't cry, and he didn't offer the apology that, truthfully, he knew she deserved. He followed the rest of the team silently to the infirmary, where the usual post-mission chatter was hollow to his ears. Mitchell ribbed him about his short-lived stint in the captain's chair, but he couldn't bring himself to say anything about the CO's unplanned impersonation of Lutan.

Afterward, he escaped back to his office, breathing a sigh of relief when, for once, she didn't follow. Then he grabbed the first book he could lay his hand on--_it doesn't mater what it is, _ he thought--and tried to bury himself in it. A few minutes later, he dropped it, jumping slightly in his seat as Sam came barreling through the door. Daniel didn't bother picking it up again. He hadn't understood a word of it anyway.

"What were you doing?" she demanded.

"Um…reading…?"

"No, Daniel. What were you doing _on the ship?_ You know, you really hurt her," Sam said. "And you're acting like a scared little boy."

He didn't have to ask what she meant, but he wondered vaguely why she was taking Vala's part. Her own emotions were still running high over Emmerson. Maybe that's what had sparked the newfound empathy. He knew he should have been glad. Vala needed real friendship more than anything else--and right now, he thought, Sam could use a friend as well. His hackles were up, though.

"What about all the stuff _she's_ done--" he broke off. Sam was right. He knew it, and he knew he should quit hiding in here and find Vala. Part of him wanted to, but another, bigger part, was still reeling inside. Reeling from the memory of his revelation to Vala about Sha're. Reeling from Vala's recent disappearance and his own panic. The _need_ to find her--find her alive--still made his mouth go dry and his palms sweaty when he thought of it. It was terrifying, in its own way. As terrifying as the realization that his wife had been taken--kidnapped and violated, made host to Ammaunet.

"Vala's part of the _team._ You owe her an apology, Daniel," Sam expectantly.

Daniel bit his lip, but said nothing. Everything she'd said was true--Vala had spent years learning to depend on no one and nothing but herself. She was finally starting to understand what it meant to be part of a team. Now thanks to him, even the members of that team weren't safe.

Sam stood waiting another minute, her arms folded across her chest. He let his eyes flick down to the book he'd dropped and tried to speak again. No sound came out. Swallowing hard, he looked up at her, but Sam only shook her head and stalked back out the door.

------

She was wiping the tears away when she heard Sam come in. She jumped off the bench and made a show of straightening her pigtails in the locker room mirror. Vala didn't cry in public, and she certainly didn't cry around other women. She wondered again what had gotten into her. She wondered how and why Daniel Jackson has the power to bring tears to her eyes--wondered why she wasn't _over it_ already.

"Hey," Sam said quietly. Vala heard the Tau'ri woman slip onto the bench behind her and slowly turned to face her.

"Are you okay?" Sam asked, and Vala resisted the urge to bite her lip as she realized that the Lt. Colonel's sharp eyes must have caught some lingering trace of tears on her cheeks.

She nodded automatically, but Sam raised an eyebrow, and Vala inexplicably felt her eyes beginning to burn again. She forced her gaze away as Sam rose from the bench, but when she felt a hand close on her shoulder, the last of her defenses finally crumbled.

"I'm sorry--" she started to say. Her voice cracked on the words, and Sam shook her head dismissively. She pulled Vala into a hug, which the dark haired woman resisted for a moment; then she gave a hesitant squeeze in return. As they drew apart again, Vala sniffed vehemently, "Men suck!"

"Yes they do," Sam smiled. "Where'd you learn that expression?"

"Television," Vala responded, walking over to slam her locker door in frustration.

"If it helps any, I just gave him a nasty chewing out," Sam offered.

"Oh?" Vala's ears perked up.

"Yeah, see what he was doing was essentially pulling on your pigtails."

"I wasn't wearing pigtails," Vala said with a blank expression. "I had my hair up in that bun thingy."

"No, it's an Earth expression. It means to tease someone mercilessly because you're afraid of showing your feelings for them. Grade school boys are famous for doing it to the girls they like. Then the girls punch the boys."

Vala scrunched up her nose. "I think I see what you mean. You Tau'ri have some very odd expressions. You know…what bothers me is that lately he really has seemed to treat me differently. And everyone said was quite worried after the kidnapping. Now suddenly it's as if nothing's changed from when I first came here. Granted, I was a bit of thorn in his side then, but I've changed a lot. I thought he'd realized that…he did seem to…"

She trailed off, slumping back against the lockers. Her eyes hopefully sought Sam's, and she felt her throat tighten as she found confirmation in the other woman's gaze. Her vision blurred, and she let out a long breath, trying to force back the unwelcome emotion.

"You have changed a lot," Sam nodded, coming over to slide her arm back around Vala's shoulders. "I didn't know you back then, but from what I was told and read in reports, you're very different from how you were last year. A lot has happened to you. And I think Daniel's-- just scared of losing you. He's lost a lot of people he cared about. He even lost himself for a while. He's not really sure how to cope when he's in love with someone."

"In love?" Vala's eyes widened. "You really think he's in love with me?"

"Hey," Sam grinned. "Pulling pigtails, remember?"


	2. When Pulling Pigtails Backfires

Daniel really didn't expect her to open the door. She had every reason not to. If she did open it, he wouldn't be surprised if she only stood there long enough to punch him in the face. Pacing in front of Vala's door, he admitted he wouldn't blame her. As the door moved back, he drew in a breath, bracing himself for the familiar crunch of her knuckles against his nose. She stood there, though, eyes wide with surprise, and only moved awkwardly aside, gesturing for him to come in.

He swallowed reflexively, feeling suddenly cold. All the determination he'd worked up on the trek from his office to her quarters suddenly deserted him, and he stood bewildered, unsure of anything but the racing of his pulse. Vala's forehead creased into a frown, and she uncomfortably cleared her throat.

"Did you want to come in?" she asked.

He half nodded, barreling into the room before he could talk himself out of it. Coming to a halt with his hands against the back of the secondhand loveseat that Sam had given her, he dug his fingers into the soft fabric and struggled in vain to even form a sentence. He could feel her eyes on his back, heard the door slide softly shut, and then heard her footsteps approach.

Whirling around, Daniel took a step toward her, and Vala froze. Their eyes met for a long moment, but finally he forced his gaze away. Drawing a quick breath, he said finally, "Vala, I--I wanna apologize. For how I treated you--on the ship. And--and before that, the things I said to you in the briefing room--about your past. I--don't know where that was coming from."

"There's no need, Daniel," she said, and his head jerked back up in time to see her give a stiff shrug.

"Yes, there is," he said hurriedly, determined to finish what he'd come here to say. "You're a member of the team. And that means we back each other up, not--not pick fights and tear each other down."

"Oh," she said, forcing her tone to remain casual, though he clearly read the disappointment she was trying not to show.

"And--" he began, but felt his breath catch and the sudden damp chill of perspiration on his palms and the back of his neck. He clenched his fists without thinking, then quickly released them and took another breath.

Her brow furrowed again, this time with a mix of concern and trepidation. Daniel took another step and saw her tense. He wondered for half a second if she was going to back away, but instead she took a cautious step in his direction.

"And?" she prompted, arching an eyebrow.

"Vala, I'm in love you," he said, forcing the words out before his brain could get in the way again. "I've--I've been in love with you--I don't know how long---but then you were gone--and then you came back, and you were married to Tomin and I--"

"Daniel, I know," she cut him off.

"What do you mean, you know?!" he cried. "How do you know?!"

"A girl knows when someone's in love with her," she shrugged. "And, honestly, you don't hide your feelings very well."

"Wha--you--you mean you've known all this time, and--and you let me just keep--" he broke off, slapping his arms against his sides in frustration.

"Well, Daniel, what was I _supposed_ to do?" she shot back.

He opened his mouth to reply, but shook his head and shut it again. "Kiss me," he heard himself say finally, then gulped at the realization that the words had actually come out of his mouth.

"Daniel, if I had kissed you, you would have been furious," Vala said sharply.

"Huh? No!" he exclaimed. "I mean--kiss me _now_."

Vala's mouth dropped open in surprise, and she stared for a moment. "Oh," she said slowly, stepping forward to close the remaining distance between them. Her hands slid over his taut shoulders, and he lowered his head to meet her lips.

She tasted of candy-apple lip gloss now, but her lips were as warm and full as he remembered. One arm wound around her, pulling her tighter against his chest, while the other reached up to cup the back of her head. He felt heat and cold race along his nerves, felt her heart pounding and her breath coming every bit as fast as his. Then there was only her mouth, slick and firm against his--

"You're an ass, you know that don't you?" Vala declared, ripping her mouth away.

"What…?" Daniel asked thickly.

Vala pushed him back against the loveseat and turned away, stalking to the other side of it, where she flung herself down and crossed her arms tightly over her chest. "You know, what you were doing was, essentially, pulling my pigtails."

Daniel opened his mouth to reply and paused, frowning. "What? Wait. Where did you pick up that metaphor?"

"Sam taught it to me," Vala replied coolly. "While assuring me that you didn't mean any harm; you were just being a typical male. In love."

"Oh," Daniel bit his lip.

"So. You treat me as if I have no feelings at all. Then you come in here and think you can just apologize, tell me you love me and that makes it all right?"

"No," Daniel shook his head, hurrying around to the other side of the loveseat. "Vala, that's--that's not what I meant to do."

"Well, what then?" she demanded.

"I--" he began, then broke off, raking his fingers through his hair. "I dunno. I don't know what I'm doing! You--you just make me so crazy!"

Before she could say anything, he had flopped down on the cushion beside her. He felt his cheeks redden, and stared sullenly at the wall, keeping his eyes firmly away from her. Then he heard a soft but unmistakable snort of laughter. An answering chuckle started to form, and he bit the inside of his cheek to resist it. Finally, though, he turned to look at her, the corners of his mouth turning up in a wry grin.

"This is pretty ridiculous, isn't it?" he asked.

"Mmm-hmm," she agreed, edging closer and coiling an arm around him.

Daniel frowned and started to speak again, his tone shifting to become serious. "It's just that--when you disappeared--everything shut down. I guess I--" he broke off, wetting his lips with his tongue. Warm tears began to well in his eyes, but he let them come. "I lost Sha're. I don't know if I can do that again. Forgive me?" he finished, his voice cracking on the phrase.

Vala nodded, leaning forward to brush his damp cheek with her lips. "I won't disappear, Daniel," she promised. 


	3. Devil's Due

"How do I look?" Vala's voice sounded from the doorway.

Daniel jerked his head up from the notes he was scribbling and turned toward the office door. She stood with her arms out to either side and spun around to display the new winter coat, hat, scarf, and mittens that Sam had taken her shopping for. He fought his smile for a second, then remembered that he didn't have to anymore, and grinned as she held up her foot to show off the boots.

"It's great," he told her.

Vala bounded inside with a grin of her own and slid onto his lap. Her arms coiled around his neck, and Daniel closed his eyes as their lips met. "Did you miss me?" she asked teasingly.

He responded with a noncommittal noise and gave a shrug, glancing back at his half-written notes. Vala scowled, raising a hand to snatch the notebook away, but he quickly caught it and guided her palm to his lips. "Yes," he nodded.

"Good. Now, darling. There are two brand new, gorgeous feet of pristine snow on the ground outside, and _you_ are going to come out and play with me," Vala announced.

"What?" Daniel's eyes widened.

Vala gave him a determined glare. "Daniel, you have been working since yesterday. You promised that when I got back from shopping, we could go and do something fun."

"Yeah, but I didn't say anything about playing in the snow, Vala!" he protested. "We--we can go watch a movie in your quarters or something--"

"I'm _tired_ of watching movies in my quarters," Vala said, hopping off his lap in annoyance.

"Okay…" Daniel blinked in surprise.

"The only time I'm ever _not _shut in down here is when we're offworld. And then there's always the disturbing tendency for our lives to be in jeopardy. Just once I'd like to do something a little less hazardous to my health."

"You just went out shopping with Sam," he pointed out.

"With you?" she rolled her eyes, planting her hands on her hips.

"All right," Daniel scrubbed his face with his hand. "What if--what if we _go_ to a movie tonight?"

"Uh-uh," Vala shook her head, walking over to the closet. She reached inside to pull out his coat and then turned, holding it open. "Come on, put this on. "

Daniel hung his head. After a long sigh, he trooped over to the closet and took the coat. "Okay. But absolutely no snowball fights. Do you understand me?"

------

They drove to a nearby park, where Vala contented herself with building a snowman for the first hour. When the body and head were complete, she plucked Daniel's glasses off his face and fixed them on the snowman.

"Hey!" he protested.

"You can have them back later, darling," she promised smoothly. Then, she took a step back and frowned, examining the results critically. Daniel shook his head, squinting for a better look at it, and tried to restrain a laugh.

"Something's missing," she decided.

"What?" frowned Daniel.

"I don't…" Vala started, then spun suddenly toward him.

Daniel took a wary step back. "What now?"

She grinned impishly and reached out, snatching his scarf before he could raise his hand to stop her. He sighed heavily as she wrapped it around the snowman's neck, but finally decided that it wouldn't do any good to suggest that they use _her_ scarf anyway.

"Stop being so stuffy, darling. We're supposed to be having fun." she told him.

"Whaddaya mean, stuffy?" he demanded.

"I mean stuffy, Daniel Jackson," she replied, bending to scoop up a double handful of snow and pack it into a circle between her hands.

His eyes bulged. "Vala--we had a deal--"

"Did we?" she asked as she stepped closer. She pulled her arm back threateningly and grinned.

"No snowball fights!" Daniel cried, diving out of the way. He landed face first in the powdery white snow, but grabbed a double handful and rolled quickly to his feet again. His shot went wide, and Vala shrieked with pretended outrage. She scooped up more ammunition, but by the time she was ready to throw, Daniel had hurled a second snowball. It smacked her square in the face, and she stood there stunned for a moment, then raced toward him.

He took off running, but she leapt at his back, bowling him over into the snow again. They wrestled around in it until both were soaked to the skin and numb. Then Vala scrambled to her feet and the real pelting began. Daniel found it only slightly less intense than their fight aboard the Prometheus, but with the entire park to encompass this conflict, by the time they were through chasing and ducking, climbing the jungle gym, and crawling though the snow, he was ready to drop. Vala gave him the perfect opportunity to do so, ending the battle by swinging down out of a tree and landing on top of him.

He tumbled backward and lay there for a moment, then slowly raised his hands to brush her hair back from her face. Her cheeks were bright red with cold, and damp from the snow. She grinned down at him, blue eyes shining playful excitement. She'd lost her mittens by then, and one finger came up to trace along his lips.

"Are we done?" she asked teasingly.

"You're still a fruitcake," Daniel replied with a breathless laugh.

She responded by lowering her head to meet his lips, and this time he didn't pull away. His arms tightened reflexively around her, and for a while, he was aware of nothing but the heat of her body and the fullness of her mouth on his. Then the wind picked up, and he felt her shiver. Reluctantly breaking the kiss, he smiled again.

"How 'bout we pick this up at my apartment?" he suggested.

"Only if you promise we can pick up _right_ where we left off," Vala winked.

"Deal," Daniel agreed.

As they climbed out of the snow, he realized that the sky had taken on the deep red of sunset, and his eyes widened. "I didn't realize it was so late," he murmured as he slid an arm around Vala and drew her against him.

"Time flies when you're having a good time?" she asked.

"Fun," Daniel corrected lightly as they walked.

"What?" she frowned.

"Time flies when you're having _fun,_" he said.

"Isn't that what I said?" Vala asked.

He closed his eyes, giving his head a fond shake, and didn't reply. When they reached the snowman, he paused to retrieve his scarf and glasses. The scarf was stiff in places and soaked in others, completely beyond being able to offer him protection from the cold. He stuffed it absently into a pocket and focused on cleaning the snow from his glasses. Vala wandered on ahead of him, but he was too preoccupied to notice where she was going until he reached the park entrance and looked up to realize that she had veered off and was watching a group of children who were gathered around one of the few remaining patches of unbroken snow.

Daniel smiled slightly and turned to join her, reaching the group just as the kids began to drop backwards into the powder. Vala frowned curiously, and he resisted the urge to grin at her puzzlement. Then the kids began to scissor their arms and legs, and she turned to him with wide eyes.

"What are they doing?" she whispered.

"Watch," Daniel said mysteriously,

A few of the group who'd remained standing helped the angel-makers up and Vala's face transformed with delight. Then, slowly, that innocence turned markedly devilish, and she grabbed Daniel's arm.

"Hey! What--no--!"

"Our turn!" she declared gleefully. 


	4. Expectations

Daniel paused in the doorway, his eyes widening with surprise. He rested the side of his head on the doorframe, wet hair still dripping from the shower. A smile twitched over his lips, and he hoped that she wouldn't see him. Vala sat cross-legged on his living room floor, one hand raised to absently pat her hair down with a towel, but the motion was entirely automatic. Her attention was riveted on the beat-up paperback in her other hand, but he couldn't make out the title in the firelight. She bit her lip in thought as she turned the page, and the towel finally slid out of her grasp. She still didn't notice, and Daniel couldn't quite stifle a laugh.

She jumped, then let out a breath at the sight of him. Glancing back at the book, she dog-eared her page, then closed it and held out a hand. "Darling, come get warm. You'll end up with one of those cold things that Mitchell had last week."

"You don't get a cold by being cold," he said fondly, but he pushed himself away from the door and walked inside, taking the hand she offered.

"You don't?" she frowned.

"It's a virus," he explained as he sank down across from her, brushing a finger lightly against her cheek.

"Oh. Well, why is it called a cold, then?" she wanted to know.

"Well, because that's what people used to think. No one really knew about things like germs that caused disease," he explained.

"Are you sure it wasn't just a convenient excuse for people to cuddle by a fire?" Vala smiled, tilting her head in invitation.

"I doubt it," Daniel laughed, leaning forward to brush her cheek with his lips. Her hand slid up against the back of his head, and he closed his eyes. He traced his mouth over the contour of her cheek and down her jaw, then left a trail of long, languorous kisses along her neck, paused, and finally drew back.

"What's wrong?" Vala whispered.

Daniel smiled and shook his head, reaching for her hands. Her brow creased in confusion, but she allowed him to take them, and he gently pulled her into his lap. She went without resistance, snuggling deep into his arms. Her cheek settled firmly against his heart, and he gave a contented sigh, resting his lips in her hair. Neither spoke for a while, simply enjoying the closeness of one another's bodies and the warmth of the fire.

"What were you reading?" he asked after a few minutes.

"Hmm?" Vala tilted her head back to give him a surprised look.

"When I came in," he said. "What book is that?"

"Oh. Sam loaned it to me. It's called _The Mill on the Floss,"_ she replied. 

Daniel's eyes widened. "Eliot?" he asked.

"Mmm," Vala nodded enthusiastically. "It's about a girl named Maggie Tulliver. Have you read it?"

"Uh…yeah…" Daniel said slowly.

"You don't like it," her face fell.

"No, I do. It--it's just, I--" he broke off, clearing his throat.

"What?" she raised an eyebrow.

"It's just…not exactly the kind of book I'd expect you to like," he said.

"Why not?" Vala frowned.

"Well," Daniel shrugged. "The--the classics are pretty heavy reading…"

"Oh. Too smart for me, is that it?" she demanded.

"No!" he shook his head.

"Really? Then what would you expect me to be reading?"

Daniel opened his mouth to reply and then bit his lip, quickly deciding that it would be a very bad idea to point out that last week Vala had been reading a trashy romance that someone had left in the commissary. His gaze flicked nervously off toward one of the nearby shelves, though he had no real hope of finding an answer there.

"Here!" he exclaimed, suddenly seizing on an idea. He gently shifted her off his lap and scrambled up, hurrying to grab an old leatherbound volume. The shelves were tightly packed, and a few others spilled out as well. He quickly stuffed them back in and turned to face Vala, who was watching with her arms folded across her chest.

He smiled a little nervously and stepped back toward her, opening the book and flipping pages as he went. "Elizabeth Barrett Browning," he said by way of introduction.

_"Love me Sweet, with all thou art,  
Feeling, thinking, seeing;  
Love me in the lightest part,  
Love me in full being._

Love me with thine open youth  
In its frank surrender;  
With the vowing of thy mouth,  
With its silence tender…"

Slowly, Vala let her arms fall, and he smiled again. Kneeling on the floor in front of her, he handed her the book and cupped her face in his hands.

_"Love me with thine azure eyes,  
Made for earnest grantings;  
Taking colour from the skies,  
Can Heaven's truth be wanting?_

"You're trying to ply me with poetry and make me forget that I'm annoyed with you," she smiled, bringing a finger to his lips.

"Is it working?" Daniel asked.

Vala laughed softly and let her finger slide away. She held his gaze for a long moment and then nodded, replacing the finger with her lips. Without breaking the kiss, Daniel gently guided her down until they were both stretched out on their sides.

"Tell me the rest of it," she murmured, finally sliding her mouth away.

"Hmm?" he asked bemusedly.

"The poem, Daniel," she chuckled, resting a hand on his cheek.

"Oh! Oh, right," he nodded. "Um…"

"You don't remember anymore, do you?" she laughed.

"Sure I do," he nodded. "Uh--gimme a second."

After a few false starts, he did manage to remember and recite the rest of _A Man's Requirements._ Vala rewarded him with another kiss, and then shifted and stretched her arm to pull the book over from where she'd laid it. She handed it to him with a winning grin, but he shook his head.

"You read me one now," he said.

"But I don't know them," she objected.

"It's okay, just…read through the beginnings. Find one you like and read it to me," he replied.

"All right," Vala bit her lip nervously. She sat up to give herself more of the firelight to see by and began scanning the pages. Daniel pushed himself up as well and repositioned himself behind her. He wound his arms around her, pulling her snugly against his chest, and settled his chin on her shoulder. She turned her head to look at him, leaving a light kiss on his lips before returning her attention to the book and beginning,

_"The cypress stood up like a church  
That night we felt our love would hold…_  



	5. Just Lucky

The first sound he heard was a sneeze. Daniel groaned and rolled over in bed, reaching automatically for Vala. He found only tangled covers and his eyes sprang open. He looked around the still-dark bedroom in confusion until a second sneeze came and his sleep-muddled brain registered that she had only gone into the bathroom.

"You okay?" he called.

She didn't reply, but he heard the bathroom door open, and her footsteps trudged back down the hall. He sat up, stretching an arm to snap on the lamp beside the bed, and waited. She appeared in the doorway flush-faced and with dark, pronounced circles under her eyes. Her usual morning bounce had evaporated, and she plodded across the room to drop down beside him.

"Are we allowed to call out sick?" she asked, burying her face in her hands.

"What's the matter?" Daniel asked, boosting himself up to slip his arms around her. 

"I told you that we'd catch cold," she replied with a cough.

"Must've been those kids," Daniel chuckled. "A couple of them were sniffling."

"Well, you played with them too. And we spent the night together. Why aren't you sneezing and coughing?" she wanted to know.

"Just lucky, I guess," he shrugged, hiding a grin as he kissed her neck.  



	6. Evasive Action

He didn't know Sam was behind him until her hand brushed his shoulder. He jumped, his elbow striking the coffee cup on the table beside him. They both moved to catch it, but the cup tottered onto its side, spilling the brown liquid all over the notebook he'd been scribbling in.

Daniel shoved his chair back to avoid a coffee bath while Sam dove for the napkins. She sopped up the mess and they both carried napkins and notes over to the nearest trash can. She dumped the napkins into it while he tried in vain to salvage the last hour's work.

Vala's cold had postponed the day's offworld mission, since SG-1 had been scheduled to rendezvous with some of her old smuggling contacts. SG-3 and SG-12 had both brought back artifacts that appeared Mayan in origin, though they'd been visiting two separate worlds this week. Daniel had been itching to start a comparative analysis of their finds, and had decided to take the unexpected opportunity and get started. He'd been occupied with it for most of the morning, but fresh coffee had seemed like an appropriate reason for a break. He'd told himself that at least he could bring his notes with him.

"Sorry," Sam murmured apologetically.

"Oh…s'okay," Daniel shrugged.

"So," she smirked. "Since when do you read _Elizabeth Barrett Browning?"_

Daniel pursed his lips, raising his eyebrows as if in surprise at the question. "I read lots of things," he said vaguely.

"We borrow books from each other all the time. I've never seen that one in your collection," she pointed out.

"Oh. Well--you must have missed it," he smiled, heading quickly back toward the table.

"Right," Sam snickered, moving to sit on the other side.

"Sam, I'm a scholar. I keep lots of books around for research purposes," he said.

"You've done research on 19th century British poets?" Sam raised a disbelieving eyebrow.

"I…think understanding the literature of any period is important to having an accurate view of the culture it comes from," he coughed.

"Sure, Daniel," she looked down at the table to hide a grin.

"What?" he demanded.

"Nothing. That was really smooth, by the way. Reading her love poetry to get yourself out of trouble," Sam said mischievously.

"Good thing I just _happened _ to have Elizabeth Barrett Browning handy," he shrugged again.

"I'll say. So, where'd you get it?" she persisted.

"Get what?" he asked, feigning confusion.

"The poetry book, Daniel," Sam rolled her eyes.

"Oh. I dunno," he said absently, turning his attention back to his notebook.

"Daniel, I've been your friend for ten years. In all that time you've never _not_ known where you got any book you own," Sam said, reaching to snatch the pencil from his hand.

He let out an exaggerated sigh and looked up again. "Well, if you _must know,_ I got it--"

"UNSCHEDULED OFFWORLD ACTIVATION!" 


	7. When She Lets Her Hair Down

The coughing fit started before she even reached the door. Waiting in the hallway, Daniel winced and wondered if Robitussin might have been a better choice than the Tupperware container of chicken soup he was holding. Vala's hacking finally tapered off, and she opened the door.

Her hair was tousled and she was dressed in some bright blue frog pajamas that he recognized as Sam's. The color was a stark contrast to the vivid red of her nose, but he firmly resisted the smile that tugged at his lips.

"Nice PJs," he offered.

"Sam said they'd be more comfortable than anything I had," she explained as she moved aside to let him in.

He nodded and bent to kiss her, but she quickly turned her face away. "Bad idea, darling," she said. 

"Right," he sighed, making his way into her quarters. "Well…I brought you some chicken soup."

Vala sighed, gesturing toward the table, where several similar containers were already stacked. "You're the third person to bring me chicken soup, Daniel. Would you care to explain the significance?"

"It's…um…an old wives' tale," Daniel began as he carried the soup over to the table. "Or a folk remedy, I guess. Or…maybe more of a tradition. I think essentially it's the idea that it's warm and comforting."

"Like the pajamas?" Vala frowned. "Oh--hold on--"

Daniel turned in time to see her rush toward the loveseat, where she grabbed a handful of tissues from the box on the cushion. She sneezed violently several times, then let out a groan and flopped down amid the pile of blankets and pillows.

"Oh, this is just awful," she moaned. "I'm sure Carolyn's wrong. It's much more serious than a cold. I'm all stuffed up, I ache from head to toe, my throat feels like sandpaper, and every time I cough or sneeze it makes my head pound."

"Sounds like a cold to me," Daniel smiled as he walked over to her. He nudged the blankets carefully out of the way and lowered himself onto the cushion, then slid his arm around her. Drawing her gently against his chest, he pressed his lips into her hair and ran a hand over the tense muscles of her back.

"Thank you for that observation, darling," Vala said testily. She rolled her eyes and shoved him away with a whine. "Daniel, I'm sick! Will you get off of me!"

Daniel frowned, his mouth popping open. "Well, I was just trying to make you feel better!" he huffed.

"I'd feel better if I didn't have someone smothering me while I don't feel well," she grumbled.

Daniel rolled his eyes but said nothing, reaching for the remote control. He supposed that at least it was a positive sign that she would let herself be grouchy and childish with him. Flipping absently through the channels, he hoped that if he appeared to have his attention focused elsewhere, she would be less apt to pick a fight. Before he could settle on something to watch, though, she edged closer and started snuggling into his side.

Letting out a long sigh, he slid his arm around her again. He almost expected to be pushed away, but her arm wound around him, and she rested her head against his shoulder. Another spasm of coughing shook her, and he turned with a worried frown.

"Did Carolyn give you anything for that?" he asked.

"Mmm, but it just tastes so awful," she replied, pouting. "Why does medicine always taste terrible?"

"I don't know," he admitted.

"My throat's so tight and raw, Daniel," she complained.

"Might help if you stop talking for a while," he pointed out.

"Oh, very funny," she rolled her eyes.

"I'm serious," he protested.

"I'm sure you are," Vala sighed.

"Look, the more you talk, the more you irritate your throat…"

"What I really need is a popsicle," she interrupted.

"A _popsicle?" _he repeated, running a hand over his face in exasperation.

"To make my throat stop hurting!" she nodded, then turned a pleading look on him.

"You've got all this soup," he reminded her.

"But it's hot. I can't eat anything hot, Daniel, it hurts when I swallow!" she insisted.

Daniel raised his eyes to the ceiling and sighed. "Okay, okay. I'll go down to the commissary and get you a _popsicle,_" he said, getting up again.

"Thank you, darling," she coughed as he left.

The sound of it melted his irritation, and he nodded, hurrying out. Maybe a popsicle _would _be good for her; if not it would at least keep her from talking for a while, he thought as he went. That idea, however, went out the window as soon as he returned and presented her with the frozen treat she'd asked for.

Vala's brow puckered. "I wanted a red one," she told him.

"All they had was grape," he said apologetically. "It'll still help your throat."

"But I don't _like_ those. It's Mitchell who likes the grape ones. I like cherry," she reminded him, pouting.

Daniel closed his eyes. "Vala, I love you, but I am not going out to the store to get you a cherry popsicle."

"Why not?" she demanded.

"Because!" he snapped.

Vala opened her mouth to retort, but twisted her head instead, diving for another handful of Kleenex. The sneeze seemed to trigger more coughing, which ended in her flopping sideways on the couch. "Never mind," she wheezed. "Of course you love me, darling."

Daniel hung his head. "I'll be back as soon as I can."

-------

She didn't answer when he knocked the second time, so Daniel carefully eased the door open and slid inside. He heard the snoring before he saw her and stifled a laugh. Quietly setting the brown paper bag on the table, he unpacked the tissues and cough drops, fished out the book of crossword puzzles he'd picked up at the check-out counter, and then stowed the soup and popsicles in her mini-fridge.

When she hadn't woken up by the time he finished, he made his way back to her and stood watching for a minute. She had fallen asleep in the same position she'd been in when he left. Her slippered feet were still on the floor, and her upper body was draped across the cushions with the top of her head crammed uncomfortably up against the arm of the loveseat.

A fond smile spread across Daniel's lips, and he shook his head, bending to pick her up. She stirred in his arms, giving him a sleepily confused look. He freed a hand to brush her cheek and gave her forehead a reassuring kiss.

"You're gonna get a stiff neck," he mumured, but she had already settled her head on his chest and drifted back to sleep.

Grinning to himself, Daniel carried her to the bed and pulled back the covers. Her brow creased fretfully as he set her down, but she only coughed a few times and didn't wake. He froze, holding himself completely still until she seemed to relax again, then carefully pulled the blankets back up around her. Before he left, he brought one of the Kleenex boxes and set it on the bed where she'd find it if she woke and needed it.

"'Night, Vala," he whispered finally, pressing his lips to her forehead. 


	8. I Am Not Lucy

"You are so Lucy!" Daniel laughed as he and Vala left the lunch line in the orange-and-black decorated commissary.

"I am not! I'm nothing like her!" huffed Vala, folding her arms across her chest. Her cold had finally gone away, but she'd still been sick enough the night before to be able to wheedle him into watching _It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown._ Peanuts had become a regular fixture in Vala's life since she'd discovered the Sunday comics, and she'd been thrilled to discover that the strip had been adapted for television.

"C'mon. Holding the football and pulling it away? Tell me you wouldn't!" he challenged.

"I wouldn't," she insisted as they paused in front of the freezers to pick the desserts Daniel had paid for with the rest of their meals. "Ooh, look, darling. Red ones!"

Daniel smiled and shook his head, gesturing for her to take the popsicles out. She grinned mischievously and grabbed them, then bounced over to the table where the rest of SG-1 was having lunch. Once there, she doled out popsicles to each of them and then stood beside an empty chair, giving Daniel an expectant look.

Cameron gave a small snort of amusement and Sam hid a smirk behind her hand. Teal'c commendably showed no reaction, but as Daniel set the lunch trays down and moved to pull out Vala's chair, he had the distinct feeling that the Jaffa was laughing behind his stoic expression.

"Thank you, Daniel," Vala smiled, giving his cheek a peck before sliding into her seat. Then, turning to Cam, she said, "Mitchell, settle an argument for us."

"Oookay," he replied, looking warily from her to Daniel and back.

"I don't know, Cam, I'd stay out of romantic squabbles if I were you," Sam advised.

"Indeed," agreed Teal'c.

Vala ignored them, smoothly explaining, "Daniel keeps saying that I am Lucy. I told him that's ridiculous, but he insists."

Cam laughed, shaking his head. "Sorry, Vala. This time I gotta agree with Jackson. You are definitely Lucy."

"What?" Vala's mouth dropped open. She quickly recovered, though, and stabbed a finger at him, replying, "Fine, then. If I'm Lucy, then _you_ are Snoopy!"

"Snoopy!" Cam cried in protest.

"Hey," laughed Sam. "Does that make Teal'c Woodstock?"

The Jaffa's eyes narrowed at the question and he turned a frown on his teammates, pronouncing firmly, "I am not Woodstock." 


	9. Meant To Be

"Okay," Daniel laughed when they were back in her quarters later. "If you're not Lucy, who are you then?"

Vala spun to face him, folding her arms over her chest. She opened her mouth, then paused, and snapped it shut with a clack. His smile widened.

"I know. Peppermint Patty," he taunted.

"What?!" Vala gasped. "Daniel, her fashion sense is horrid. Those open-toed sandals? Not to mention the fact that she's so stupid she doesn't even realize that Snoopy is a beagle! How about the Little Red-haired girl? I wouldn't blame Charlie Brown for being infatuated with me."

"Nope, doesn't work. Your hair's not red. Besides, nobody ever _sees_ the Little Red-haired Girl," Daniel pointed out.

"So?" Vala raised an eyebrow.

"You wanna be a character who never even gets a line in the strip?" he asked.

"All right, you have a point," she admitted. "But I'm still not going along with this Lucy business."

"Violet?" Daniel asked.

"Violet's an imbecile!" Vala scoffed. "She's goes to school on Saturdays and can't figure out why no one else is there. I may be a lot of things, Daniel, but I'm far from stupid."

"Sally?"

"Charlie Brown's sickeningly cute, _blonde_ little sister?" Vala rolled her eyes.

"Okay, then who's left? What's her name--Marcie?" he asked.

"The geek with glasses!" Vala exclaimed, her mouth dropping open in shock.

Daniel narrowed his eyes, giving her a hard look. After a moment's pause, she bit her lip, turning a bright smile on him. "Um. Not, of course, that there's anything wrong with geeks. Or glasses. But you have to admit--Sam is much more suited to being Marcie than I am."

"Uh-huh," Daniel folded his arms, eyeing her with a distinctly unimpressed expression. "So that brings us back to Lucy."

Vala sighed and let her arms drop, walking over to place a hand on his arm. "Okay. But if I have to be Lucy, will you at least be my Schroeder?"

He smiled a little and slid his arms around her waist. "Y'know, I've always kinda thought that if Charlie Brown ever stopped chasing after the Little Red-haired girl, he'd see that Lucy's been waiting the whole time."

"Charlie Brown and Lucy?" Vala's eyes widened as her arms slid around his neck. "But what about Schroeder?"

"Schroeder's a challenge," Daniel shrugged.

Vala bit her lip thoughtfully. "Oh, I see. So, if she ever got his attention, she wouldn't want it anymore."

"Same thing with Charlie Brown and the Little Red-haired Girl," Daniel nodded.

"I don't know, darling. If Lucy likes Charlie Brown, why doesn't she let him kick the football?" Vala pointed out.

"Well, she can't let him know that she likes him," Daniel replied.

"Ohhh," Vala nodded in understanding. "Sort of like pulling on pigtails?"

"Sort of," Daniel agreed with a chuckle. She leaned forward to kiss him, but he suddenly frowned and pulled back. "Wait a minute. Where'd you pick up the word _geek_ anyway?"

"Uh--Mitchell," Vala replied, her gaze flicking uncomfortably away.

"Do I want to know who you were talking about?" Daniel inquired.

"Not really…" 


	10. A New Look

Vala wiggled her hips and turned to either side, examining the cut of the shimmering gold dress again. She wrinkled her nose distastefully and sighed, stepping away from the mirrored wall of the store. "Daniel, as much I like the idea of you in the Mark Anthony costume, I'm just not _feeling_ Cleopatra."

Behind her, Daniel's eyebrows shot up. "You mean you made me drive an hour and a half for these costumes and now you don't like them?"

"Sorry, darling," Vala shrugged, bouncing back off to the dressing rooms. "Let me change and we'll look for something else."

Daniel sighed, running a hand over his face. She happily disappeared into the back of the shop, and he shook his head, turning to peruse the costume racks behind him. As soon as she'd heard about the costume contest at the annual SGC Halloween party, Vala had been determined to win the prize for Best Couple. He'd known better than to try to dissuade her and let himself be dragged along on her hunt for the perfect outfits.

The Charlie Brown and Lucy costumes were hidden so well between Darth Vader and Big Bird that he almost missed them. The familiar brown zig-zag pattern on the bright yellow fabric caught his eye, though, and he pushed his way through. Grinning, he carefully took them off the rack and headed for the dressing rooms.

-------

Mitchell made his entrance about a half an hour into the party. Vala was busy dancing with Bluebeard the Pirate and almost didn't see him. Suddenly though, she glanced over the pirate's shoulder and let out a squeal of delight.

"SNOOPY!" she shrieked happily.

The pirate spun around to see what she was looking at and lifted his eye-patch to reveal General Landry. His jaw dropped at the sight of Mitchell, then he shook his head at Vala, who was racing off the dance floor to throw her arms around Daniel's neck.

"What's that for?" Daniel laughed.

"You got him to dress as Snoopy!" she cried.

Still in the doorway, Cam froze. He lifted off the head of the costume and gave his head an annoyed shake. "_I_ wear the giant beagle head and _he_ gets a hug?"

"Oh. Right," Vala said apologetically. She started toward him, but Woodstock appeared in the hall behind him and shouldered his way past. The bird stood at rigid attention, managing to maintain the dignified air of a Jaffa despite the roar of laughter that swept the room.

-------

"So you're happy with second place?" Daniel asked with a tired smile.

Vala finished arranging the trophy and turned, nodding. "I really did want to win," she admitted.

"It's hard to beat Snoopy and Woodstock," Daniel chuckled.

"The looks on their faces were priceless," she grinned as she slid onto the loveseat beside him.

He nodded agreement and pulled her head onto his chest. Resting his chin on her hair, he remarked, "You know, they're gonna fight over who gets to keep the trophy all year."  



	11. Boot Scoot

Teal'c's eyebrow rose at the loud, unmistakable blare of Mitchell's boom box coming from the commissary. He clasped his hands behind his back and continued up the hall, pausing when he reached the doorway. The portable stereo was on the table in front of the CO, predictably playing a country music CD, but this wasn't one that Teal'c recognized. The rhythm was catchy, but the Jaffa could make little sense of the lyrics.

_…Yeah, heel, toe, dosie doe come on, baby, let's go boot scootin  
Cadillac black jack, baby meet me outback we're gonna boogie  
Oh get down, turn around go to town boot scootin' boogie…_

"ColonelMitchell," Teal'c inquired blandly. "What is a _boot scoot?"_

Cam's hands stopped tapping the table in time with Brooks And Dunn, and he tilted his head up at his teammate. "It's a line dance," he explained.

Teal'c raised a questioning eyebrow. 

Cam opened his mouth to elaborate and closed it again with a sigh. "There's no way you're gonna get it unless you see it," he decided, getting to his feet. "C'mon, help me move some tables. Anyone here wanna learn the Boot Scoot?"

------

Daniel's jaw dropped as he and Vala reached the commissary door. Inside, Mitchell, Teal'c, several off duty airmen, and Dr. Lam were doing what he thought was a country line-dance to the music of a boom box that someone had brought onto the base.

"Oh, the Boot Scoot!" Vala squealed.

"You know how to do that?!?" Daniel exclaimed.

"Well, no, I've never done it. I've only seen it on television. Come on, darling!" she urged, grabbing his arm.

"Vala, I don't know how," he protested.

"Neither do I, Daniel. Mitchell will show us. Come _on!"_ she insisted, hopping off to join the line.

------

"Are you people all crazy?" General Landry bellowed over the racket. The rapidly growing line of dancers broke off, looking nervously from Cam to the general and back again.

Cam ran a hand over his face and moved to turn off the music while Landry stomped inside, followed hesitantly by Richard Woolsey. With the music off, he turned again, and he and the rest of the Air Force personnel came to attention.

"Mitchell, was this your idea?" Landry demanded.

"Yessir," Cam replied.

Landry gestured toward the boom box. "Your stereo?"

"Yessir," came the response.

"And what is it _doing here?_" Landry asked, bushy eyebrows shooting up.

"Well, sir, uh…my Discman was broken…" Cam coughed. 

Landry sighed heavily. Turning to Woolsey, he shook his head. "Mr. Woolsey, I'm sorry. I don't know what's going on around here."

"Looks like the Boot Scoot to me, General," Woolsey smiled, crossing the room to turn the CD on again.

------

"Maybe it's some kind of alien contaminant," Sam speculated, turning a wide eyed expression on Jack.

"Nah," he grinned. "Just a typical day at the SGC. I miss this place, Carter."

"Ho, all right, hold up!" Cam called, raising a hand as he spotted them. "Looks like we're gonna need more room."

"Where can we go to find more room?" Vala frowned. "All the labs are full of equipment. Offices and personal quarters are smaller than this room. Not to mention the fact that they all have furniture that it would take half the day to move. And anyway, some of it's nailed to the floor.

"How do you know that…?" Daniel asked, taking her arm with a glare.

"Um…"

"I know where we can go," Landry grinned, forestalling the couple's argument.

------

Elizabeth's eyes bulged as she stepped through the 'Gate. A portable stereo sat on the ground at the bottom of the ramp, and against the opposite wall, Generals Landry and O'Neill, along with all of SG-1, Carolyn Lam, Master Sergeant Siler, and Chief Master Sergeant Harriman, and Richard Woolsey were doing the Boot Scoot.

Beside her, John grinned widely and started down the ramp. Then he paused, turning back to her with a frown. "Elizabeth, why don't we ever do this on Atlantis?"  



	12. Thin Ice

Vala was perched on Sam's desk, leaning on her elbow as the two women perused what _had_ to be more ski resort brochures. Daniel froze in the doorway, turned and walked out again, but Vala caught sight of him and sprang to the floor. She chased him out into the hall, making a grab for his arm.

He unconsciously started to pull his arm away, but caught himself as she declared, "Oh, no you don't!"

"What?" he sighed, turning to face her.

"Daniel, now General Landry's given us a whole week off for Thanksgiving. Sam and I want to go skiing, and you boys are coming along," she declared.

"Vala, I don't like skiing," he shook his head. "You spend more time standing in line than you actually do on the slopes, and it's _cold._ All I want to do next week is stay home and relax."

"Come on, darling, all you ever want to do is stay home with your nose in a book!" Vala sighed in disgust.

"Yeah, well, that's--that's who I am. That's what I like," Daniel replied testily, though his own anger startled him.

"Well, what about what I want?" she planted her hands on her hips.

"Vala, we always do what you want!" he snapped.

"What?" she huffed angrily.

"Since we've been dating, all you do is drag me around doing whatever you want," he said.

"Do you mean that?" Vala's eyes widened.

Daniel's mouth opened and closed, and he ran a hand through his hair, taking a moment to think. "Yeah, you know what, I think I do," he replied in surprise.

Vala narrowed her eyes. "Well. If that's how you feel, fine. Sam and I will go by ourselves. I hope you enjoy your holiday alone, Daniel." 


	13. A Conspiracy of Friends

Vala stomped back into Sam's office and gave the desk a swift kick. Her friend looked up from the brochures with a start. "Ooooooh, he makes me so _angry!_" Vala declared, balling her hands into fists in frustration.

"What happened?" Sam asked.

"He doesn't want to go," Vala replied.

"We already knew that," frowned Sam.

"No, I mean, he _really_ doesn't want to go. He says that I spend all our time together dragging him around to do what _I_ want. I told him if he feels that way, then fine. We'll just go by ourselves," Vala related with a determined nod.

"Are you sure that's what you want?" Sam asked, her forehead crinkling in disbelief.

Vala paused, then nodded again. "Maybe it's a good idea that we spend some time apart. We're _always_ together--offworld, here in the mountain, even during our downtime now. A week apart will do us both good."

Sam bit her lip thoughtfully. "The trip won't be much fun without the guys.

"Of course it will," insisted Vala, casually leaning her hip against the desk. "We don't need them to have fun, do we?"

"No," Sam shook her head in agreement. "But I really think you should talk to Daniel, Vala. Don't use the trip as an escape for a relationship problem."

"Oh, I'll talk to him. After he apologizes," Vala said flatly.

-------

Daniel stormed into the locker room and brushed past Cam and Teal'c, giving the lockers a hard kick. His teammates turned to watch, and Teal'c raised an eyebrow. "She just makes me so _mad!"_ he gritted.

"Uh oh," Cam said, hiding a smile.

"What has ValaMalDoran done?" Teal'c asked.

"They're still looking pamphlets for that ski trip," he said with a shake of his head. 

"Personally, I don't think a week at a ski lodge is such a bad idea," Cam replied.

"I don't like skiing. And--and I guess I'm tired of spending all my downtime doing what _she_ wants. Look at everything we've done in the last month." Daniel sighed.

"You raised no objections at the time," Teal'c reminded him.

"Well, I did this time. I told her I didn't want to go, and she--she says, 'All you ever want to do is stay home with your nose in a book!' Well, if all she wants me to be is--is--is some toy to play with then--then--"

"Jackson," Cam cut him off. "You're getting yourself all worked up over nothing."

"Whaddaya mean nothing?" demanded Daniel.

"She don't mean it that way. She's just used to makin' her own rules," Cam shrugged.

"Yeah, well, maybe I'm tired of making exceptions for her," Daniel replied, shaking his head in disgust.

Cam winced and shook his head. "Y'know, Jackson, there are easier ways to leave a woman."

Daniel's eyes bulged. _"What?_ Who--who said anything about _leaving her?"_

"I told you I smelled a wedding," Cam commented, turning to Teal'c with a smirk.

"Indeed," the Jaffa agreed.

"Aw, c'mon!" Daniel shoved his hands through his hair. "Will you guys just cut it out!"

-------

They were coolly civil all week. Even offworld, Daniel and Vala treated each other with professional politeness and kept their distance. The girls picked a resort and made reservations. Cam and Teal'c decided to conduct their own ski weekend, conveniently taking a room across the hall, and Daniel set about compiling the stack of books that he planned to read during his week off. On Thursday night, he called Jack to ask about his plans for Thanksgiving Day and found out that Sam had already invited him to meet the rest of SG-1 at the lodge.

Friday morning, Cam and Teal'c walked into Sam's lab and shut the door. She turned away from her computer and smiled, getting up to take the extra coffee from Teal'c's hand. "You guys sure you don't want to car pool tonight?" she offered.

"That is, in fact, our reason for coming," Teal'c replied.

"Oh yeah?" Sam asked.

"ColonelMitchell has a plan which he believes will convince both DanielJackson and ValaMalDoran to apologize," he explained.

-------

She was sitting in the dim commissary alone. Most of the base personnel had left already and the room was almost empty. Her chin was propped on her fist and, and she was flipping a page in her book as he walked in. She jerked her head up at the sound of his approach and forced a smile.

"Can--can I sit down?" Daniel asked hopefully.

Vala nodded.

"Thanks for seeing me," he said as he slid into the chair opposite her.

"Sam said you wanted to apologize…" Vala trailed off, biting her lip. 

His mouth popped open. "She what?"

"I've been thinking, darling, and maybe I--what?" she frowned.

"Mitchell said _you_ wanted to apologize!" Daniel exclaimed.

"He what?" Vala stared in disbelief. Quickly shoving back her chair, she snatched the book off the table and jumped to her feet. "Well, _I'm_ not apologizing until _you_ apologize!"

"Come on, Vala, this is exactly what I'm talking about," Daniel scrambled up as well. "Everything's gotta be _your_ way!"

"What is that supposed to mean?" she demanded hotly.

"What difference does it make who apologizes first?" he sighed.

"Why should _I_ apologize when _you're_ the one who's wrong?" she retorted.

Daniel opened his mouth and shut it again, shaking his head. "You know, forget it. Just forget the whole thing," he said, turning to leave.

"Fine," she snapped, spinning in the opposite direction.

Daniel took two strides and halted, his hands balling into fists at his sides. "Vala."

"What?" she froze as well.

"I'm sorry," he said softly as he turned around again.

Vala whirled around again with a huff. "You're _sorry?_"

"Yes!" Daniel grit his teeth, stomping toward her.

"Well," she smiled. "I'm sorry, too."

Daniel's eyes widened in surprise. "Wh--you are?"

"Mmm-hmm," she nodded. 

"Well then, why did you--?" he broke off in confusion.

"Because you always look so cute when you're flustered, darling. I simply couldn't resist," she replied.

Daniel raised his eyes to the ceiling and sighed, but Vala laid a hand on his cheek, and her tone became serious. "Daniel, do you really feel as if you have no say in what we do?" she frowned.

"Sometimes," he admitted with a nod. "But I shouldn't have talked to you the way I did."

"I didn't mean to make you feel that way," she shook her head.

"I know. Vala, I enjoy spending time with you--and--and maybe there are times when I need someone to remind me that there are other things besides work and my books. But sometimes--sometimes I just really do want to stay home," he said.

"I understand, darling. I'll tell Sam the trip's off," Vala decided.

Daniel gave a grateful smile. "You don't have to."

She shook her head. "It's all right. I really didn't want to go if you weren't."

"Vala, I'll go with you," he told her.

"Are you sure?" she asked hopefully.

"Mmm-hmm," Daniel nodded, then dipped his head to brush her lips with his.

Vala's arms curled around his neck as he drew away, and she pulled him back, returning the kiss ardently. Then, she murmured, "Thank you, darling. And I promise, the next time we have some downtime, we'll do whatever you like."

"Thank you," Daniel smiled.

"Even if I'm bored out of my mind…"  



	14. Lost and Found

The cabins adjacent to the main lodge were all occupied, and switching rooms would have resulted in Sam having to room with Cam and Teal'c. Daniel accepted the offer of a cot in their room without complaint, feeling that his behavior over the past week had already come close to spoiling the team's Thanksgiving plans.

They were more than an hour late leaving town on Friday night, since Daniel had to go back home and pack, but the rest of SG-1 took the delay in stride. While the archaeologist rooted around in three different closets searching for various pieces of luggage and winter clothes, the team lounged in his living room. Cam and Vala argued over the remote control until Teal'c finally settled the dispute by taking it himself. Daniel went wandering through as they were watching Wheel of Fortune, paused long enough to solve the puzzle, then walked off mumbling to himself about missing long johns.

"Aw, come on, Daniel!" Sam complained, reaching behind her to pull a pillow off of the couch and fling it at his disappearing back.

"Just because _you_ know everything doesn't mean the don't want to play, darling," Vala called after him.

The only response was the loud clatter of falling objects, followed by an even bigger thud. Vala sprang off the arm of the couch and ran into the bedroom, followed only seconds later by the rest of the team. They found Daniel on the floor outside the closet, half buried under a pile of books, clothes, and suitcases. Hanging over his shoulder was a pair of long underwear.

"Hey, Jackson," Cam laughed. "Found your long johns."  



	15. Dance With Me

Jack was waiting to meet them at the lodge, but he didn't see them when they arrived. Several other guests were gathered on couches drinking hot chocolate or leaning casually against the wall. Everyone's gaze was focused on a small group in front of the fireplace, which seemed to be led by an obese white haired tourist and his teenaged granddaughters. A boom box sat on the floor in front of them, issuing what, to everyone but Vala, was a horribly familiar Latin dance beat.

"Is it just me or does that guy look exactly like Nerus?" Cam asked.

"What are they _doing?_" Vala wanted to know.

"It's…called the Macarena," Daniel explained, running a hand over his face.

"It looks like…"

"No," Daniel said flatly.

"_So_ knew that was comin'," Cam snorted as he and Sam walked over to the desk to check in.

"Indeed," smirked Teal'c, who was loaded down with the team's bags. He walked calmly off after Sam, and Daniel let out a sigh.

"What?" Vala asked, looking from one teammate to the next with wide eyes.

Shaking his head, Daniel took her elbow, guiding her over to the couch where Jack was watching the performance. The general looked up as they approached, his face breaking into a wide grin.

"Daniel!"

"Jack…?" came the response.

"Changed his mind for him, huh, Vala?" Jack asked, half standing to offer her his hand.

"Not this time, General," she smiled.

"Enough with the General stuff. It's Jack," he told her. 

"Jack," she nodded.

Daniel smiled a little and lowered himself onto the couch. Vala immediately appropriated his lap, and Jack shook his head. The two men fell to small talk about their respective trips to the resort, and Vala's attention drifted off to the giggling girls and their grandfather.

Everyone else joined them soon after, and Teal'c finally set down the luggage while Sam and Cameron handed out room keys. He was about to pick the stuff up again when the music came to a halt and two of the dancers pled exhaustion and retired to an empty loveseat.

"Anyone else want to dance with us?" one of the girls asked, looking around hopefully.

"We will!" Vala grinned, grabbing Daniel's hand and hopping off his lap. He tensed, and she released his fingers, remembering a moment too late what had caused their recent argument. Biting her lip, she awkwardly amended. "I will."

Teal'c hesitated for a moment, but as she stepped away from the couch alone, he shucked off his coat. "I will accompany you, ValaMalDoran," he said.

Vala half turned in surprise, then smiled brightly. Teal'c inclined his head and gestured for her to lead the way. She scampered off to shake hands with the family of tourists, while Teal'c placidly followed with his hands clasped behind his back.

"Hi, I'm Vala," she said. "This is…"

"Murray," supplied Teal'c.

"Larry," replied the grandfather. "These are my granddaughters, Jennifer and Jessica."

"Nice to meet you," Vala nodded.

"Have you guys done the Macarena before?" Jennifer asked.

"We have not," Teal'c admitted.

"But we learn fast," Vala winked.

The team slid out of coats and hats and watched in open-mouthed astonishment as Teal'c and Vala began to follow the Nerus-lookalike through the steps of the Macarena. Teal'c caught on suspiciously fast for someone who'd never done the dance before, and Vala took to it with predictable ease. By the third time through the steps, both of them looked as if they had been doing the Macarena for years. Cam and Jack laughed and egged the pair on, while Sam covered her face with her hand. Daniel, who understood both the English and Spanish parts of the dance mix, looked more and more horrified as it went on.

"Come on, all of you," Vala laughed after a few minutes. "Are you going to let us have all the fun?"

"I believe they are afraid that they cannot successfully perform the steps," Teal'c told her with a conspiratorial look.

"Whoa!" Cam leapt off the couch. "Hold on, there! Ain't nobody said I couldn't do it."

"Let's see," challenged Vala.

"All right then, you got it," he nodded sharply, walking up to join them.

"Sam, you too," Vala encouraged.

The other woman started to shake her head, then bit her lip thoughtfully and finally got up. "Okay, one time."

"Sam, you gotta be kidding me," Daniel gaped.

"Hey, where's your team spirit?" she asked him with a teasing grin.

"I think I left it in the car…"

Sam shook her head, turning speculatively toward Jack. His laughter suddenly broke off and he stared at her open-mouthed for several seconds. She folded her arms, but he shook his head vehemently.

"I don't think so, Carter. There is _no_ way you're getting me up there," he insisted.

"We don't need them anyway," Vala spoke up, grabbing her friend's arm with a wink.

"Wha…?" Jack turned questioningly to Daniel.

The archaeologist raised his eyes to the ceiling and sighed. "Here we go."

"What?" repeated Jack.

In response, Daniel gestured toward Vala, who was walking Sam slowly through the motions of the dance while Teal'c demonstrated for Cameron. Both women quickly broke out laughing, and Cam paused his hands on his neck to watch their progress. Teal'c glanced over his shoulder and gave a slight smile, then returned his attention to Mitchell and raised an eyebrow.

"Right," Cam sighed, moving his hands from his neck to the opposite hips.

"Are you certain that you have not performed the Macarena before, ColonelMitchell?" Teal'c asked.

"No! I mean yes!"

It took several more run-throughs before Sam could keep the beat without messing up a step, but once she could, Vala glanced toward Daniel and Jack again and grabbed her hands. Sam frowned questioningly, then gasped with shock as Vala started to gyrate her hips.

"Yep, didn't see that coming either," Daniel muttered sardonically.

"Go ahead," Vala whispered encouragingly.

Sam shook her head, glancing nervously toward the couch, but Vala reached quickly to turn her face back. She bit her lip, but Vala finally coaxed her into a few halfhearted hip motions, and Jack's jaw dropped. Cam froze in disbelief, and Teal'c turned to face them.

Curious, he stepped toward the women, lifting an eyebrow as he caught Vala's eye. She grinned and pivoted to stand in front of him. Sam stood back with obvious relief, and both she and Cameron trying valiantly not to crack up as Vala guided the Jaffa through a clumsy bump and grind. Jack collapsed against the back of the couch, covering his face with his hands in hysterics, and even Daniel broke into a grin.

_Now don't you worry about my boyfriend  
The boy whose name is Vitorino  
I don't want him, couldn't stand him_

Then, Teal'c began to catch on. Daniel's smile flickered and became a frown. Cam smirked and walked up in front of Vala. 

_He was no good, so I…_

Daniel's mouth popped open, and Jack clasped a restraining hand on his arm.

"That's exactly what they want," the general reminded him.

_Now, come on. What was I supposed to do?  
He was out of town, and his two friends were sooo fine--_

"That's it!" Daniel exclaimed, shoving himself off the couch. The dancers halted and Cam and Teal'c each moved away from Vala, Cam laughing and Teal'c with an unusually wide smile. He inclined his head to Daniel, who made a grab for Vala, but she darted playfully out of reach.

"No, darling. You don't get to do that until you can do this," she winked, beginning the Macarena again.

Daniel scowled, and Sam grinned as he awkwardly began to mimic Vala's movements. She walked back to the couch and leaned casually against the arm, giving Jack a long look.

"So. You're not really gonna let the new guy show you up, are you, sir?" 


	16. Plans Within Plans

  
True to Daniel's prediction, they spent the entire morning standing in line. Vala didn't mind the cold since her Macarena-dancing tourist friends happened to be directly behind them. Teal'c found Cameron's snowboard intriguing and raised a perplexed eyebrow.

"I do not understand the concept of snowboarding, ColonelMitchell," he said. "Skis I comprehend. There are two. But how does one employ one of these boards?"

"It's like surfing on the snow, T," Jack spoke up behind them.

"Surfing?" Vala asked.

Daniel covered his face with his hand. "Thanks, Jack."

"Welcome," the general grinned.

"I'll show ya when we get there, Teal'c," Cam promised.

"Wait," Vala frowned. "Is someone going to explain this surfing?"

------

By the time they reached the lift, the trip to Hawaii was already being plotted. To her credit, Vala did _ask_ if Daniel would go rather than _tell_ him that he was going. Since he sincerely doubted that Landry could be induced to give the team sufficient leave time for a Hawaiian vacation or that they would be able to find a flight and hotel reservations this close to Christmas, he agreed. Vala rewarded him with a kiss, and he felt rather pleased with himself for the next few hours.

He even hoped that he might be able to avoid making a fool of himself on the slopes when everyone became more interested in watching Teal'c's first snowboarding lesson than actually skiing. Finally, though, Teal'c surrendered the board to Cameron, who impressed even the Jaffa with his surprising skill on the snow. After watching him make a few runs, Vala was itching to get in some skiing, and Daniel's protests of being cold went unheard…

-------

They found him flat on his back under the tree. Jack had come across the first ski somewhere back on the trail. The second one could now be seen dangling from a low-hanging branch, and he hurriedly went to get it before it could fall on Daniel's unconscious body. Vala fumbled to remove her own skis and knelt beside him while Cam pulled out a cell phone to call for help.

"Daniel?" she asked tentatively, reaching to slide a hand under his head.

"Vala, don't move him," Sam warned, kneeling quickly beside her friends. "We don't know if there's been any spinal damage."

"Oh--" Vala quickly pulled her hand away and bit her lip, then tried again hopefully. "Daniel? Oh, darling, I'm sorry. This is my fault. We should've stayed home the way you wanted…"

"Yes it is," Daniel cracked open an eye. "And I hope you've learned your lesson."

Vala let out a shriek of outrage, and Daniel scrambled to his feet. Sam raised her eyes to the sky as the couple began to race through the snow. Vala grabbed a ski pole and took a swipe as Daniel ducked behind Teal'c. He stood implacably while they ran in circles around him, remarking only, "Perhaps it is I who should have remained at home."


	17. Reality Bites

  
"Why do you Tau'ri have _trees_ along your ski trails anyway?" Vala asked later that afternoon. She'd finally caught Daniel, and her anger over the feigned unconsciousness ploy had been appeased by the pleasure of sitting atop his back and rubbing his face repeatedly in the snow while he sputtered for help. Sam had eventually convinced her to let him go, and the group went back to the Lodge to grab hot drinks and warm up by the fire.

"What do you mean?" Sam frowned.

"Well, hasn't it occurred to anyone that trees can be dangerous?" Vala pointed out. "Daniel _could_ have been hurt."

"The trees help give the place atmosphere. Make it more friendly," shrugged Jack.

"Yeah…friendly," Daniel muttered. He'd actually landed in the tree that the team had discovered him underneath, although how exactly that had happened was still unclear to him. One minute he'd been sailing down a mountain, then he lost a ski and turned his head to see where it went. He'd tried to slow down while balancing on one ski, and everything after that was a blur of motion and cold wetness until he found himself in the branches. He'd fallen out while trying to remove the second ski, only moments before they found him.

Vala smirked and ran a hand teasingly through his still damp hair, and the room exploded with laughter. Daniel scowled, but before he could do more than open his mouth, Jack's cell phone began playing The Simpsons' theme song. He pulled it from his pocket and glanced at the number with a loud sigh. He stood up and slipped out into the hall, returning a few minutes later wearing an irritated expression.

"That was the President," he said as he stomped over to snatch his coat from the chair where he'd left it.

"You'll be back for Thanksgiving, won't you, sir?" Sam asked, not quite managing to keep the disappointment out of her tone.

"Do my best, Carter," he shrugged, pulling the coat on and heading for the door.  



	18. Dreams and Schemes

  
Daniel and Vala paused outside the door to his hotel room, and he leaned his back against it. He pulled her along with him, holding her loosely with his arms around her waist. Her hands slid up the sides of his face into his hair, and she grinned. He frowned at the expression and regarded her with a worried look that wasn't quite feigned.

"So. The next time we come here? We definitely need one of those cabins," she told him mischievously.

"Why?" he asked, pushing his bottom lip outward in thought.

"As if you don't know, Daniel," she shook her head.

"We could always borrow Jack's cabin," he suggested.

"Now there's an idea," Vala agreed as she tilted her mouth up to meet his.

He kissed her for a long moment, then pulled back and rested his lips against her forehead. "Maybe we could go for a drive or something," he said with a soft, rueful sigh at the presence of their teammates inside the room.

"I'd love to, darling, but I really should go and check on Sam. She hasn't seemed herself since Jack left," Vala replied.

Daniel sighed again, but nodded agreement. "Okay. I love you."

"I love you too," Vala smiled before she broke away.

He watched her go, wondering at how easily they'd fallen into this pleasantly comfortable couplehood. They fought intensely--probably always would--and he didn't think that any relationship with Vala would ever be lacking in passion. No matter how furious he could be with her, how well or how often she could push his buttons, Daniel had never questioned his feelings--or hers. Despite how they'd met and everything that had happened to them before the Ori Beachhead, loving her came as naturally and without reservation for him as it ever had with Sha're. He asked himself, not for the first time, how that had happened, but could arrive at no answer.

Finally, he pushed himself off of the door and went inside. Mitchell and Teal'c were playing poker and didn't hear him come in. From the size of the two piles of chips on the table, it seemed as though Teal'c was winning, but that didn't dampen Mitchell's cheerful mood.

"So, this whole Hawaii trip Vala's got in mind? I'm thinkin' honeymoon," he said smugly.

"Indeed," agreed Teal'c.

"Oh, are you two getting married?" Daniel smirked. Both of them swiveled around to face him, and the Jaffa's eyebrow shot upward in alarm.

"I was _talkin_' 'bout you and Vala!" Mitchell declared.

Daniel's smirk widened. "Well, listen. If I ever do take Vala on a honeymoon, it'll be about as far away from you two as I can get. No offense, Teal'c."

------

Vala found Sam staring out the window in their room. She walked up and laid a hand lightly on the other woman's arm. "Are you okay?"

Sam nodded, forcing a smile. "Yeah, fine."

Vala tilted her head, giving her friend a knowing look. "You didn't buy that response when I tried it on you. You don't look very happy for someone who's on her first real vacation in years."

Sam smiled a little and dipped her head to rest on Vala's shoulder. "I guess I was just hoping that we'd all get to spend Thanksgiving here."

"Is that it?" Vala asked quietly. Sam had never talked much about her relationship with SG-1's former leader, but she had heard plenty of rumors around the SGC.

"No, I guess not. Not totally anyway," admitted Sam, moving away to sit on the edge of one of the beds. 

Vala turned, frowning in concern. "Do you…want to talk about it?"

"There's nothing to talk about. Nothing's ever happened," Sam shrugged.

"But you love him," Vala said, walking slowly toward the bed.

Sam nodded silently. 

Vala slid down onto the comforter beside her and took her hand. "Does he love you?"

"Yeah," Sam bit her lip, forcing back the tears that suddenly blurred her vision.

"I'm guessing that there's something a bit more serious in the way than someone pulling on pigtails," Vala ventured.

"There are regulations about military officers being involved," Sam explained. 

Vala nodded. Her brow creased in thought, and she said carefully, "Daniel told me that Jack was retired before the mission to Abydos. Couldn't he leave the Air Force again?"

"Things are different now," Sam shook her head. "The Goa'uld and the Ori weren't around back then."

"There must be some way," Vala said.

Sam gave a fond laugh. "Thanks, Vala, but I think one of us would have to be _dying_ before General O'Neill retires again."

"Well, darling," Vala smiled reassuringly. "Let's hope we can find a better idea than that." 


	19. The Rules and the Rulebreaker

  
A sudden storm kept them in the lodge for the next two days. Vala spent that time alternatively plotting a way to help Sam and huffing in annoyance at the weather channel, anxious to get back to the slopes. None of her ideas in regard to the reluctant couple seemed feasible, and on the second night, she found herself restless. Sam had fallen asleep, and after an hour of tossing and turning, Vala made her way downstairs. Daniel found her leaning against a window in the dark. His eyes widened in surprise and he crossed the lobby to rest a hand on her elbow. She jumped, whirling around, and then sighed. Her eyes slid closed at the sight of him.

"Couldn't you sleep?" he asked softly.

She shook her head, then glanced questioningly at the book in his hand. "You either?"

"Guess I just wanted a little peace and quiet," he shrugged.

"Are Mitchell and Teal'c still at it?" she asked in surprise.

"Mitchell's calling it 'the poker grudge match of the century'," replied Daniel, raising his eyes to the ceiling.

Vala chuckled and turned back to the window. Daniel gazed over her shoulder at the gleaming snow and wound his arms around her waist. Pulling her back against his chest, he rested his chin on her shoulder.

"You're not going to say you want to go play in it, are you?" he asked half seriously.

"No," she allowed. "But I do love looking at it when it's like this. All clean and pretty when no one's awake to go outside and ruin it with footprints. It almost makes up for the fact that there's so little green in the winter."

"Sometimes I like winter better," Daniel admitted.

"Do you?" she tilted her head up to give him a curious look.

"Well, I wish it wasn't so cold. But at least I sneeze less," he replied.

"I think your allergies are adorable, darling," she teased.

"Thanks," he rolled his eyes. 

Vala grinned and pecked his cheek. Both fell silent for a while, and he started to give a contented sigh, but she frowned. "Daniel, do you think Jack will be here for Thanksgiving?"

"I doubt it," he shook his head.

"Well, what's going on?" she wanted to know. "I'd think that if there was some national crisis we would have heard on the news by now."

"I'm not sure. All he said when I talked to him on the phone tonight was…something about 'I go on vacation and the whole damn Pentagon falls apart,'" he told her.

Vala sighed. She didn't speak for a moment, then abruptly made up her mind and began, "I've been thinking."

"Okay…" Daniel ventured, not entirely sure he wanted to know any more.

"We need to do something about Jack and Sam," she informed him.

"We--what?" he spluttered.

"Come on, darling. Ten years is entirely too long for--"

"Vala," Daniel cut her off.

She broke free of his embrace and spun to face him again, folding her arms across her chest. "Are you honestly telling me that you think it's right?"

"No, I don't," Daniel shook his head. 

"Well then, let's _do_ something!" she exclaimed.

"There's nothing that we _can_ do. And--and besides, it's--it's none of our business," he insisted.

"Why not?" she demanded. "Sam helped us, didn't she?"

"Yes, but that--that was different," Daniel shook his head.

"How?" she fired back.

Daniel closed his eyes, drawing in a long breath. "Because Sam and Jack have both made their choice. You and I were--were--fighting what we felt--or I was, I guess. I needed someone to make me realize that there was a choice that had to be made. Vala, look. I know you care about Sam, and I appreciate that you want to help her. But the best thing you can do for her is to stay out of her relationship with Jack. Okay?"

"But it's not fair, Daniel!" she shook her head, feeling her eyes begin to burn with tears.

"No, it isn't," he agreed, bringing his hands up to rest on her shoulders. He drew her gently into his arms and planted a soft kiss on her brow. "It's not fair at all." 


	20. A Little White Lie

  
"Well, I don't believe it!" Cam declared as he and the rest of the team stood around Sam's hospital bed. "If anybody was gonna break their leg, I sure didn't think it'd be you!" 

"Me neither," Sam smirked, her gaze flicking significantly to Daniel, who smiled as if to say that he had no idea what she meant. They had finally gotten back to the slopes that morning, but it would have been better if they'd remained stuck in the lodge. By noon, Cam, Daniel, Teal'c, and Vala were following an ambulance as it took Sam from the resort to a local hospital. With her leg in traction, the doctor said that he couldn't even be sure that she would make it out by Thanksgiving.

Daniel turned to glance at the door and frowned. "Y'know, Vala's taking way too long getting those sandwiches."

"You want me to go find her?" Cam offered.

"No, I'll go," Daniel shook his head. He walked out into the hall and disappeared in the direction of the cafeteria.

"Y'know, guys, I am kinda tired," Sam confessed as he left.

Teal'c inclined his head respectfully. "Perhaps we should accompany DanielJackson to the cafeteria and then return to the lodge."

"Hey, at least this'll give us time to finish the grudge match," agreed Cam.

"You _still_ haven't given up?" Sam asked incredulously.

"I ain't givin' up 'till I beat him," Cam shook his head.

"This is going to be a long grudge match," Sam sighed.

"Indeed," the Jaffa spoke up.

------

"General O'Neill?" his secretary's voice came over the intercom.

Jack turned, stabbing the button in annoyance. "Yeah, Nancie, what's up?"

"Vala Mal Doran's on the phone, sir. She says it's important," came the reply.

"Okay, put her through," he said. A moment later, the phone rang and he snatched the handset. "O'Neill."

"Jack, it's--its Vala," she began tearfully. He raised a hand to his brow and fought a sigh, wondering what it was that she and Daniel were arguing about now and how exactly _he'd_ been dragged into it. Then he felt himself go cold as she continued, "There's been an accident."

"Carter?" he asked hoarsely.

"She fell skiing, Jack. The doctor isn't sure she'll make it…" Vala sniffled, trailing off.

"Where is she?" he forced out as he pushed back his chair and grabbed his uniform jacket.

"The hospital here in town," Vala said. "Room 207. We're all here."

"Okay. I'm on the way," he said, letting the phone drop from his hand. He rushed out of his office, sliding into the jacket as he moved.

"General?" Nancie looked up from her desk in surprise.

"Cancel all my appointments," he told her without looking back.

"What? General, the only appointment you have is with the Presi…"

_Slam!_

"…dent," she finished as the door banged shut behind him.

------

The team found Vala coming back from the phones. Daniel halted, crossing his arms over his chest, but she hurried over to them, ignoring his suspicious glare. "You're supposed to be in the cafeteria getting lunch," he reminded her.

"I know, darling, I just thought someone should call Jack," she smiled, giving him a light kiss on the cheek. "Come on, I'm hungry."

She slid between him and Cam, scampering back the way she'd come. Daniel's eyebrows rose, and he looked toward Cam and Teal'c. The CO shrugged and the Jaffa's eyebrow moved slightly to indicate his own uncertainty. With a shake of his head, Daniel turned and started after Vala.

"Um…?" he called.

She glanced innocently over her shoulder. "What's wrong?"

"Why exactly did someone have to call Jack?" he wanted to know.

"Oh. Well, I thought he might want to send flowers or something," she grinned.

------

Jack halted in the doorway of the hospital room. Having expected to find all of SG-1 gathered around the bed, he frowned at the sight of Carter alone. He took a tentative step in, slowly registering the lack of life support equipment. If she'd been taken off of life support already, there couldn't be much time. Swallowing hard, he stepped inside and pressed his eyes closed.

_Where the hell is everyone?_ he thought irrationally. _She'd be here for them!_

She didn't move as he approached, and he found himself forcing back tears as he knelt by the bed. "Damn it, Carter," he muttered, raising his hand to brush back the hair from her forehead.

She stirred at the touch, and her eyes popped open, going wide with surprise. "Sir?"

"Carter!" Jack exclaimed.

"Sir, what are you--" Sam began.

Jack's arms slid around her before she could finish the question, and he pulled her into an ardent kiss. She gave a sharp gasp, but her moved instinctively around his neck. Jack forced his mouth away, frowning down at her. "You okay?"

"Um…" Sam blinked. "Are you?"

"I am now," he nodded firmly. Then he took a breath and started to speak again, unsure what he planned to say until the words came out. "Carter, marry me."

"Marry you?" she swallowed. "Isn't this a little sudden, sir?"

Jack's eyebrows rose. "Ten years is sudden?"


	21. Intentions

  
"How could you--why would you--what were you--" Daniel sputtered as he paced the floor of her hotel room, almost incoherent with anger and disbelief. His hands rose and fell with each abortive exclamation, and finally he froze, spinning to face her.

"I was trying to help!" Vala shouted back, her chin rising in defiance.

"I told you to stay out of it!" he cried, slapping his arms against his sides.

Vala's eyes narrowed. "You _told_ me?" she repeated.

"Don't change the subject," Daniel shook his head. "This--this isn't about us right now. What did you think you were doing?"

"Sam is the first real friend I've had in a very long time. She said that one of them would have to be dying in order for Jack to come around, so I made him think she was. I wanted to see her happy, Daniel. That's all. What's wrong with that?" she challenged.

"_What's wrong with it?"_ he repeated. "Vala, you--you can't just manipulate people to get what you want! You scared Jack to death. You owe them both an apology!"

"Oh, really," she scowled darkly, stomping toward the door. She pulled it open and turned to glare at him again. "Well, if I do, Daniel, it's not up to _you_ to tell me. Goodnight."

"What?" his mouth popped open in surprise.

Vala gestured toward the hallway. "Your room's that way. Go find it."

"Fine!" he snapped back, stalking past her. He halted, whirling around again, but before he could actually take a step, the door slammed shut in his face. He blinked and clenched his teeth. "Fine."

------

"Sir--Jack--she didn't mean--" Sam began, biting her lip.

"What?" Jack stopped pacing and spun around. "She didn't mean what? She told me you were _dying!"_

His voice broke on the word and Sam held out her hand to him, her brow creasing sympathetically. "I know. But in a way it was my fault."

He sighed and crossed the room to take the hand she offered. "You wanna run that by me again?"

"We were talking about--us," Sam explained with a sigh of her own. "I said that one of us would have to by dying before…"

She trailed off, and Jack raised his eyes to the ceiling. "Y'know, Carter, that's--Sam--"

She covered her mouth with her free hand to stifle a laugh. "That's a little hard to get used to, isn't it?"

"Yeah," he agreed, sliding onto the edge of the bed. His fingers moved to comb a stray lock of hair back behind her ear, and he smiled, regarding her thoughtfully for a moment. Her gaze flicked uncomfortably to her lap, and he frowned, tilting her chin back up to face him. "What?"

"We don't have to, you know," she said, biting her lip again.

"Don't have to?" he repeated.

"Get used to it," she went on painfully.

Jack tensed. "Are you--saying no?"

"No," she said quickly. "But--you thought I was dying. You weren't thinking clearly."

He glanced away as well. On the way to the hospital, his head had been full of nothing but the painful realization of ten wasted years and a chance he might never have again. He'd told himself that the galaxy could damned well get along without him; that if she recovered all he cared about was being with her. He'd sworn, too, that _this time_ he meant it.

Slowly, he met her gaze again, and the muscle in his lower jaw quivered as he forced out the words, "I love you."

"I know," she replied, her eyes filling with tears as she brought her hand to his cheek. "I love you too."

------

The door burst open and Cam winced as Daniel charged into the room. He and Teal'c were, as usual, sitting at the poker table, but the game had been abandoned as soon as Jack's irate phone call had told them exactly what Vala had done. Daniel had gone to confront her with Jack's accusation, and since then, the other two members of the team had simply been waiting.

"How'd it go, Jackson?" he ventured.

"How do you think it went?" Daniel snapped, then paused and let out a sigh. "Sorry."

"S'ok," Cam nodded, watching as Daniel flopped into a chair and massaged his forehead with his fingertips. With a brief glance at Teal'c, the young CO took a step toward their teammate. "C'mon, Jackson. Y'know, she was just tryin'a help…in her own weird, Vala way."

Daniel's hand dropped onto the arm of the chair and his head shot up. "Well maybe she should _stop_ trying to help. She can't just play with people's lives like that! It's like she has no respect for people's privacy or feelings or... Just-- gah! She makes me so crazy!"

Cam and Teal'c shared another glance, but before either could speak, Daniel had leapt to his feet again and begun to pace. "I mean, what if Sam had done that to her? Saying something like that about me? I don't think she'd see it as so innocuous."

"Although her methods were questionable, DanielJackson, her intentions _were_ honorable," Teal'c spoke up.

"That--that--that's not the point!" sputtered Daniel. "She just had no right! No right!"

"You yourself have acted similarly on numerous occasions," Teal'c replied calmly.

Daniel's jaw dropped. "I--what?"

"Your actions in bringing Lotan to meet the people of the Enkaren village were ill-advised and in violation of O'Neill's orders," the Jaffa reminded his friend. "Your objective, however, was not."

"Yeah," nodded Cam. "And what about that mission with the eugenics war?"

"What?" Daniel's eyes widened. "How do you know anything about that? You--you weren't even there! Oh, never mind, you've--"

"Memorized every mission report," Cam cut him off with a grin. Then, he looked up at the ceiling in thought, snapped his fingers and began to rattle off mission specifics almost too fast for even Daniel to follow.

"Okay, okay, Mitchell," the archaeologist sighed in defeat. "I'll go talk to her."

He walked off into the hall again and Cam followed him to the door, shutting it behind him. Turning to Teal'c again, he rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Y'think she'll let him in?"

"It is unlikely," Teal'c replied.

"Looks like it's gonna be a long night then," Cam agreed.

"I believe it is your deal, ColonelMitchell," Teal'c said. 


	22. The Mistakes We Make

  
"Sweetheart…?" Daniel called with a few light, tentative taps on the door. There was no answer at first, and he tried again. "Vala, please, I--I want to apologize."

Finally, he heard her footsteps, and a moment later the door opened. He started to speak, but she flung the door shut in his face again. "Come on, Vala!"

"I think you've said enough, Daniel!" she told him sharply.

"Look, I'm sorry. Please let me in so we can talk about it," he attempted, sighing.

"Go away!" she yelled back.

Daniel leaned forward, letting his head hit the door in frustration, but didn't reply. He stood there silently for several minutes, but finally pulled himself erect as the door across the hall opened and a trio of teenagers spilled out. They paused at the sight of him and he smiled, leaning an elbow casually on the door.

"Just…waiting for my girlfriend…" he explained. 

"You'll have a long wait!" Vala called from behind the door.

"She's…taking a bath," Daniel coughed.

Their only response was to look at one another and laugh. They walked off toward the stairs, and Daniel covered his face with his hand. After a few moments, he looked up again with an expression of sudden inspiration and hurried off in the direction of the elevator.

On the other side of the door, Vala heard him leave and bit her lip. She spun, her hand moving to the doorknob, but froze again, stilling the momentary impulse to go after him. Letting her hand fall away, she whirled around and stalked back to the bed, flinging herself down with crossed arms.

"You really wanted to apologize, didn't you, Daniel?" she muttered. "Fine, then. Be that way. See if I open the door the next time, either."

Blinking back sudden, traitorous tears, she glanced around the room for something else to focus on. Sam had left the remote control atop the television, and she got up quickly to turn on the TV Guide channel. Most of what was playing seemed to be sentimental holiday drivel, and although she might have enjoyed it at another time, she was definitely not in the mood tonight.

She gave an annoyed huff and started flipping though the channels anyway, in the end arriving at the same conclusion she'd reached a few minutes before. There was nothing to watch. Throwing herself back on the pillows, she ran a hand through her hair, then closed her fingers to give it a hard tug in frustration.

"Sam would know what to do," she told herself, her gaze turning hopefully toward the phone on the bedside table. Then she drew in a heavy breath, realizing that Sam was more than likely to be angry with her as well. If she was honest about it, Vala had to admit that Daniel had been right to say that she owed their friends an apology.

Taking a reluctant breath, she sat up again and reached for the handset. She'd scrawled the number to Sam's room on the back of a napkin earlier and fished it out of her pocket, then slowly dialed and closed her eyes, waiting for the other woman's familiar voice.

"Hello?" it came on the third ring, a good indication that Jack was still in the room.

"Sam, it's Vala," she began hesitantly.

"Hey, Vala. Everything all right?" her friend asked in concern.

Vala's eyes widened. "Aren't I the one who ought to be asking you that? I mean, you're in the hospital with a broken leg, and I--I really screwed up, Sam. I'm sorry."

"It's okay. I know you were just trying to help…" Sam assured her, then her friend's voice faded, but Vala clearly heard her whisper, _"Wait--no, just a second, she's upset."_

Vala pressed her lips together and glanced at her lap, feeling her cheeks redden at her friend's unexpected empathy. A second later, Sam came back on the line, asking, "Now, what's going on with you and Daniel?"

"What…? How did you know?" Vala asked.

"I can tell something's wrong. It wasn't all that hard to figure out," explained Sam in an amused tone.

Vala nodded. "Oh. Well, um, he's been a bit angry since Jack called. I don't think we're speaking at the moment."

"Wow," Sam began. "Y'know, that really doesn't sound like Daniel. As mad as I've ever seen him get, I don't think he's ever not been willing to talk."

"Well, I sort of stopped talking first," replied Vala.

Sam snorted in amusement. "What did he say?"

"I admit that he had a point, Sam--but he was just so condescending!" she exclaimed. "He yelled at me because he'd 'told' me not to get involved with your relationship with Jack, and he _demanded_ that I apologize! He didn't ask or suggest, he _ordered!"_

"Ouch. Vala, I'm sure he didn't mean to do that. Daniel and Gen…Jack have been through a lot together. They tend to be very protective of each other, and--" she broke off, her voice fading again as she asked, "--what? Well, you do. Okay, just…Vala, Jack wants to talk to you," she finished with a sigh.

"Okay," Vala winced, waiting apprehensively for him to take the phone.

"So, Daniel let ya have it, huh?" he began.

"Yes, he did," she replied with emphatic nod. "I've been duly chastised, and I really am very sorry."

"Well, good. You should be. Y'know, that was way over the line. But I think since Daniel's already told you that, we can move on to the part where we all kiss and make up," Jack said.

"I like the kissing part," Vala grinned.

"I bet you do. You kiss Daniel. I'll kiss Carter," the general retorted.

"Sam?" Vala corrected with a slight laugh.

"Huh?" asked Jack.

"You meant to say Sam, I think," Vala reminded him.

"Yeah. That's what I said. Carter," Jack deadpanned.

Vala started to laugh again when a knock at the door drew her attention. She turned toward it, her stomach tightening in apprehension, but she squared her shoulders and didn't move. "Right."

"That Daniel?" Jack asked, having heard the sound.

"I assume," Vala nodded.

"C'mon, why don'tcha go talk to 'im," Jack suggested.

Vala drew in a breath and slowly let it out again. "All right. Tell Sam I'll give her a call later." she agreed.

"Will do," Jack promised, hanging up.

Vala sat with the phone in her hand for a moment, then set it down and pushed herself to her feet. Daniel knocked again as she reached it, and she stopped with her hand on the doorknob. "Yes?"

"Vala, there's a half gallon of chocolate ice cream out here," Daniel cajoled. 

"What?" Vala felt her face redden. Another time the ice cream ploy might have worked, but she was already smarting under his paternalistic manner. Even if she _could_ understand his instinct to protect his friend, he should have confronted her as an equal. Instead he'd given orders, as if she were a little girl to be punished. She'd been inclined to take Sam's word that he didn't think of her that way, but this seemed to indicate that he did, and it only served to revive her irritation.

"I'd hate to have to eat it myself…"

She yanked open the door furiously, and he blinked in surprise, taking a half step back. She glared dangerously, but said nothing, reaching forward to snatch the container from his hands. Before he could move, she hurled the door shut again, nodding firmly as it echoed with the impact.

"Aw, c'mon, Vala, that's--that's--that's just childish!" he complained. "At least talk to me!"

"I'll be glad to talk to you, darling, as soon as you learn to start treating me like an adult. Until then, I'm going to act exactly the way you seem to think of me," she told him.

"What?" he asked in a tone so full of genuine surprise that she almost opened the door again.

"You've been scolding and treating me like a child all night, Daniel. Now you think you're going to bribe me to open the door with sweets?" she shot.

"Whaddaya mean, 'treating you like a child'?" he asked, shocked. 

"If I have to explain it to you, it doesn't matter much, does it?" she sighed in disgust.

Stalking away from the door, she dropped the ice cream on the table, then went in search of a plastic spoon. They'd brought some for the yogurt that Sam had kept in the room's mini-fridge, and she took the last one back to the bed and sat down. Daniel continued to knock, and after a few bites of ice cream, she set the carton back down. She stared at the door for a few seconds, fighting the urge to get up and let him in, then grabbed the remote control and focused her attention on the TV.

After scanning the channels twice, she was about to decide that there was still nothing on, when she caught sight of something animated and heard a familiar-sounding voice. She almost didn't believe it when she recognized the bald-headed boy in the yellow and brown striped t-shirt. Charlie Brown raced determinedly toward the football, which of course wasn't there when he reached it, and as he flipped onto his back, Vala finally caved.

Daniel had stopped knocking by then, and she leaned against the door, holding her breath while she listened. She didn't hear anything, but she moved back anyway and pulled it open. Then, she barely jumped back in time to avoid being landed on as Daniel, who had apparently been sitting on the floor with his back against the door, tumbled inside and landed with a thump.

She started to laugh at his stunned expression, then felt her eyes fill with tears again. "You are _so_ Charlie Brown," she sniffled.

He blinked up at her, then slowly got to his feet. "Hi, Lucy," he said with a shaky laugh, reaching to lay a hand on her cheek.

"Hi," she replied, raising her own hand to cover his.

He smiled, then his gaze flicked away uncomfortably. "Vala, I overreacted. I didn't realize how I sounded. And ice cream was meant as a peace offering, nothing else. I don't--think of you as anything less than an equal partner. I'm sorry. But you scared Jack--I mean _really_ scared him."

"I know," she admitted with a heavy sigh. She turned away and took a few steps, then halted and stared down at the floor. "I've never had a real girlfriend before. A girl who was my friend, you know?"

"Yeah," he nodded, walking up behind her.

"And I thought--Mitchell and Sam lied to us to get us to apologize. Isn't that the same thing?" she asked.

Daniel bit his lip in consideration. "I think…the difference is that what Sam and Mitchell lied about wasn't something that could hurt or frighten anyone. What if Mitchell had said something like that? Told you I was dying so you'd agree to see me, hoping we'd apologize and work things out?"

"Oh, I'd _kill_ him!" she declared, then paused. "Oh. I see what you mean."

"Your heart was in the right place. And…as Mitchell and Teal'c pointed out to me, I have a long history of pairing good intentions with…really crappy methods," Daniel told her.

"You, Daniel?" she laughed ironically. "Oh, I never would have guessed."

"Yeah, big shock there, huh?" he chuckled, slipping a hand onto her shoulder.

Vala turned, slipping her arms around his neck. "So, I guess we really make a pair, darling," she observed, resting her head on his shoulder.

"I guess we do," he agreed as his arms encircled her waist.

Vala closed her eyes and neither spoke for a while, then she frowned with sudden realization. "Daniel?"

"Hmm?" he asked.

"The ice cream's going to melt," she reminded him.

------

The team celebrated Thanksgiving in Sam's hospital room. Turkey dinner was provided by the cafeteria, after which they gathered around the small TV to watch a re-airing of _A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving._

"Well, you Tau'ri certainly have interesting holiday traditions," Vala observed as the Peanuts gang gathered around a ping pong table in Charlie Brown's backyard to eat toast and popcorn.

"It's not usually like that, Vala," Sam laughed.

"Yeah, usually you got a big ol' turkey, ham, all the fixin's. Piles of pie for dessert. A Jell-O mold…" Cam trailed off.

"What's a Jell-O mold?" Vala wanted to know.

"It's Jell-O," replied Jack. "In a mold."

"Well, that explains it," Vala retorted.

Daniel shook his head. "You take Jell-O while it's still liquefied and add fruit and stuff, then you pour the whole thing into a shaped mold and let it set."

"Oh," nodded Vala. "Why?"

"I…have no idea," admitted Daniel.

"As I said. Strange holiday traditions," Vala repeated.

"Thanksgiving's not just about the food," Daniel laughed. "Despite what Mitchell will tell you."

"Hey, what's that supposed to mean, Jackson?" Cam frowned.

"Nothing," Daniel shook his head.

"No, what? C'mon, you think I don't know there's more to Thanksgiving than…"

"Mitchell," Daniel cut him off with a laugh.

"What?"

"Pass the extra pie."  



	23. Two Steps Back

  
Sam's first night home from the hospital had been so hectic that neither she nor Vala had felt much like talking. By the time Vala had helped her into bed and crawled under the covers on the other side, both of them wanted nothing more than a night's sleep. The drive home had been long and uncomfortable, and once they arrived, there had been luggage to unpack, laundry to do, and untold misadventures as Sam attempted to negotiate the furniture and appliances on a pair of crutches.

The following morning though, Vala carried the two mugs of coffee back to the table and slid into the chair across from Sam with an eager grin. The Lieutenant Colonel smiled a little as she accepted one of the mugs, well able to guess what her friend had in mind. She didn't say anything, though, and after a moment's silence, Vala prodded.

"So…? You haven't told me when!" she said, almost bouncing.

"Vala, we're not getting married," Sam replied softly.

Vala blinked, her eyes widening. "What do you mean you're not getting married?"

"Well, when Jack proposed, he thought I was dying. In a crisis situation like that, people…do and say things they otherwise wouldn't. Their priorities become different--" Sam began.

"Maybe his priorities _need_ to be different!" interrupted Vala. "The fact that you're not dying doesn't change how either of you feel, or change the reality that you might not have as much time as you think. Why should he only be willing to retire if he thinks of it as some sort of noble sacrifice?"

"I don't know," admitted Sam. "But it was my decision too."

"You mean you--oh," Vala broke off.

"Jack's not the only one who could quit. But I guess neither of us really want to, deep down. If we did, one of us would have already," Sam said, shifting her gaze away as tears began to form in her eyes.

"Sam," Vala reached across the table to squeeze her fingers. "It's up to you. Whatever you really want, I'll be here."

------

"Is that what you really want?" Daniel frowned later the same afternoon.

"I dunno," Jack admitted, leaning forward to pick up the beer from the coffee table in front of him.

"Well," Daniel licked his lips thoughtfully. "That--that doesn't seem good."

"What am I supposed to do, Daniel? Quit? She wouldn't _want_ me to anyway, and how long do you think it's gonna last with a set-up like that?" Jack asked.

"Are you sure that's your only option?" Daniel wanted to know.

"Aw, c'mon, Daniel. You've always gotta be Mr. Fix it. Can't we just have a beer and forget about it?" sighed Jack.

"No, Jack, just listen for a minute. I don't pretend to know much about the frat regs, but you're not Sam's commanding officer anymore--"

"She's still in my line of command, Daniel," Jack sighed.

"Are you sure? And if you are, does that matter?" Daniel persisted.

"What?" demanded Jack.

"Well, in the first place, your position at Homeworld Security makes you a liason between the Pentagon and the SGC. You don't have direct oversight. Furthermore, I know that regulations say you can't be with Sam while you're her direct superior, but are you _sure_ you can't now? Have you talked to a JAG?"

"Never thought about it," Jack shook his head.

"Why not?" Daniel wanted to know.

"I dunno, I just…haven't," Jack shrugged. "Are you done now, Daniel?"

"Yes, Jack," Daniel sighed. "I'm done. Just…think about it." 


	24. Socks and Promises

  
Vala slid into the bathroom and snuggled up behind him, her arms snaking around his neck. She was dressed in the t-shirt that he'd been wearing the night before and holding a paperback in one hand, her thumb in the binding to hold her place. Daniel grinned, turning away from the sink to dab a bit of shaving cream on her nose. She returned the smile and kissed him, then wiped her nose off and perched on the edge of the tub to read.

For a few minutes, the only sounds were running water in the sink and the occasional tapping of Daniel's Bic on the porcelain. Then, Vala let out a squeal of outrage, and slapped the book down on her thigh. "Ooooooooh! Maggie's family is so _infuriating!"_

"You really like that book, don't you?" he observed.

"Mmm-hmm," she nodded. "Once I understood that the Floss wasn't an oral hygiene product…"

"Right," Daniel laughed, returning his attention to his shaving.

"I do wish I had more time to read it," she told him candidly. "I had hoped that with Sam's broken leg, we might not have to go off world for a while."

"Now that's a switch," he remarked.

"I do like Earth, Daniel. All I wanted when I first came here was a chance to see more of it than the inside of Cheyenne Mountain--well, a chance to see _anything_ other than the inside of Cheyenne Mountain, really," she replied.

"Guess I can't blame you," he admitted.

"As it is, I've been reading _The Mill On the Floss_ since October and I'm still not finished. I don't know how you finish a book as quickly as I've seen you do it. You have as little free time as I do," she said a tad enviously.

"Practice, I guess. And you'll have plenty of time to read this weekend," he reminded her.

"Oh."

Daniel hid a smile. Sam had been put on restricted duty due to her leg, but the rest of the team had been hit with a series of off world missions over the past two weeks. This weekend would be their first opportunity for real downtime since the ski trip. Mitchell and Teal'c were planning to spend Saturday afternoon Christmas shopping and had been filling Vala's head with talk of nothing but holiday sales and Santa Claus all week.

"If you want to go with them, I don't mind," he assured her.

"Really?" she started to smile, but quickly shook her head. "No. No, darling. I promised we'd do whatever you wanted, and I meant it."

"Okay," he shrugged.

She nodded firmly and went back to her book. A moment later, though her head shot up again. "Daniel?"

"Hmm?"

"Don't _you_ have Christmas shopping to do?" she asked hopefully.

"Nope," he replied, shaking his head.

"You don't?" she frowned.

"All my shopping was done in April. I hate the rush," he explained.

"Oh," her face fell.

Finished shaving, Daniel flicked off the tap and turned to grab a towel. As he did, she sprang off the tub and wrapped her arms around his neck again, giving a distinctly feline purr. "Darling?"

He closed his eyes, shaking his head fondly. "Mmm-hmm?"

"What did you get me?" she wanted to know.

"Socks," he smirked.

Vala's arms fell away and she gasped. "Socks?!"

"Yep," Daniel replied, walking out of the room without looking back.

"You did not!" Vala insisted, racing out after him. "Daniel! Tell me the truth! Daniel…?" 


	25. Altruism

  
"Daniel…?" Vala purred, somehow managing to wriggle her head past his book to settle her cheek against his chest.

"Mmm?" he grunted, flipping a page.

"I have an idea," she announced.

"Vala, aren't you reading?" he reminded her, half expecting some new attempt to get him to tell her what her Christmas present was and where he'd hidden it.

"Well, yes, darling, that's where I got the idea," she nodded earnestly.

Daniel tilted his chin to look at her. His eyebrows rose in surprise as he realized that she was serious, and he laid the book aside, curling an arm around her. "Okay. Tell me the idea."

"I think books should be free!" she declared.

Daniel blinked. "Huh?"

She grinned and gave an enthusiastic nod. "Isn't that a marvelous idea? Then we could have all the books we wanted and you wouldn't have to complain about the credit card bill or the fact that I forgot to pay you back the last time."

"Right," he smirked.

"Really. I'm not joking!" she insisted.

"I can see that," he nodded.

"So, what do you think?" she asked.

"You'd put all the publishing houses out of business. There's a lot of money in publishing, you know," he said, holding back a smile.

"Oh. Hadn't thought of that," Vala frowned. "They wouldn't like me very much, would they?"

"Probably not," agreed Daniel.

"Well, that's never stopped me before," she shrugged.

"No, I wouldn't say it has," he commented with another smirk.

She glanced at him and let her eyes widen in a profession of innocence. "What?"

"Nothing," Daniel shook his head. "So, would you mind telling me what's brought on this sudden attack of altruism?"

"Well, books are such wonderful things. You can open a book and go to a whole other world, or another time, or meet someone who died hundreds of years before you were born. And there are so many that I don't think I could ever buy all the ones I want--and of course stealing them isn't an option…" she smiled.

"So, the solution is to make them all free," he felt his lips beginning to twitch upward in amusement.

"It makes perfect sense," Vala nodded. "Doesn't it?"

"Well, how would you give the books away?" Daniel frowned.

Vala thought for a moment. Then her eyes lit up as she arrived at what she thought had to be a viable method. "What if there was a marketplace? A huge book market where people could go and find the ones they wanted--only instead of paying with money, all you had to do was bring your old books back when you were finished with them. You know, sort of like you and Sam when you borrow books from one another."

"Okay, but then how do you pay for the buildings, or the salaries of the people who have to run the place?" Daniel asked, trying very hard to keep a straight face.

"Well…" Vala bit her lip in consideration. "I know! What about something like those…fund drive things on public television. They're annoying, but they must be effective if Sesame Street has been on for more than thirty years.

"That's not a bad idea," he admitted. 

"What about some sort of a membership fee? It wouldn't have to be very much; just a nominal amount so that anyone could afford it," Vala mused. "With enough people it would start to add up, wouldn't it?"

"Then you'd have to have a membership card," Daniel remarked, shifting slightly to reach for his wallet on the nightstand beside the bed.

"Ooh, it could be like a credit card!" exclaimed Vala excitedly. "I like that idea. The card could be linked to a personal account, and when you borrow books, there's a record kept so that they don't get lost or stolen. You're a genius, darling! What are you doing?"

"Maybe it could look something like this," Daniel suggested as he rifled through his wallet and finally extracted his library card.

"What's that?" Vala's brow puckered.

He handed her the card, and she stared at it for a long moment. "It's a library card. Pretty much exactly what you just thought up. There's a lending library in just about every major city or town in the country."

Vala looked up at him in surprise, then suddenly boosted herself up on her elbow and grabbed the pillow beside him. Daniel started to raise his hands, but she moved too fast and managed to get in a hard swat to his face before he could stop her.

"You were teasing me!" she cried as he grabbed the pillow away.

"It was a good idea," he laughed.

She scowled down at him for a few seconds, then broke into a grin. "So, can we go to the library?" 


	26. What's Worth Waiting For

Vala looked around wide-eyed with astonishment as they walked into through the double set of doors that led into the library. Just inside, there was a large, open tiled area. The walls on either side of the doorway were lined with display shelves. The one to the left read "Just In" and was filled with pristine, gleaming hardcover volumes. On the right side, a faintly yellowed sign read "Book Sale", and the shelves there contained books of every description, from battered paperbacks to old textbooks and reference materials to worn novels and biographical works.

"They let you buy them?" Vala frowned.

"Old ones, things they either have better copies of or don't need anymore. Outdated reference books and stuff," explained Daniel.

"Oh, you mean the things you like," Vala nodded.

"Yeah," Daniel chuckled.

"And this?" asked Vala, turning toward the shelving on the left.

"The library board buys a certain number of new books every month. Usually things people request, or books that the staff knows are popular," he said. "They all go here as soon as they come in."

"I see," she said, then looked again from one side to the other and bit her lip, scrunching up her face in an expression of eager indecision. "Where to first?"

"Come on," Daniel curved his right arm gently around her back, guiding her toward the circulation desk.

"What are we doing?" she asked, startled. "The books are that way!"

"We're going to get you a library card," he smiled.

Daniel spent thirty minutes explaining the library's circulation policies after the librarian at the circulation desk had gone over everything with Vala twice. She pressed a hand to her forehead, sighing as she listened to him repeat the list of rules and regulations. He reached across the table and gripped her arm, lightly but firmly.

"Vala. Are you _sure_ you understand?" he asked.

She let her hand fall, and her palm smacked down on the smooth surface. "Yes. I can borrow as many books as I like, but they _must_ be returned by the date printed on the slip they give me. If I can't get here, I may renew the materials twice by phone, but I must either return or renew by the date due or a fine will be levied at a rate of…ten cents per day."

"Which…?" Daniel prompted.

"Which you are not going to pay for me, nor am I to ask Sam or Mitchell or Teal'c to loan me the money," she repeated dutifully.

"Good. Now what about the rest of it?" he asked.

"Oh, come on, Daniel," she sighed.

"No, no, no. No 'come on'. Gimme the rest," he insisted.

Vala drew in a breath and heaved another sigh. "CDs and audiocassettes may be checked out with a limit of five each, and must be returned within two weeks. They may be renewed twice. DVDs may be borrowed three at a time and must be returned within one week. _They_ may be renewed only once and must be returned in their proper cases with all enclosed leaflets and accompanying materials intact or a fine will be attached equaling the cost of a new copy. Now can we go? _Please?"_ her voice rose with the last word, making it an eager squeal, and she waved toward the waiting bookshelves.

"Just a sec--"

"You know, Daniel," she rolled her eyes, pushing herself suddenly to her feet. "If you didn't think I could handle this, I don't know why you brought me here in the first place."

He gave her a stunned look. "Huh…?"

"The library card was your idea. I was quite happy just to come here with you," she reminded him, turning away. "Now I'm going to find something to read."

She walked off, and he sprinted after her, catching her arm. "Vala, wait."

She turned, raising both eyebrows at him with a pointed look and said softly, "I've run smuggling operations and conducted black market trades all over this galaxy, Daniel. The circulation policies at the local public library really aren't that much to absorb."

He closed his eyes and sighed. "I'm sorry. What I was going to say was that I'm--I was proud of you. It…seemed like a lot to me."

Vala tilted her head, and her expression softened. She raised a hand to his cheek. "I'm sorry, Daniel."

He nodded, then smiled hesitantly. "The books are waiting."

"I think they can wait a while longer," Vala said as her arms slid around his neck.

Daniel's smile widened. "I love you," he said as he leaned into her kiss. 


	27. Knowing Who Your Friends Are

Daniel carefully slid the faded leather volume off of the shelf and turned it over in his hands. He pursed his lips, blowing a gentle stream of air to loosen the thick coat of dust. His head involuntarily jerked back, and he sneezed as a white cloud billowed around him. Sniffling, he opened the cover as the dust settled and ran gentle fingertips over the cracked interior, then peered at the faint inscription on the thin yellow title page. It was handwritten, in a neat, precise script, and the ink had gone brown with age. Squinting, he thought he could make out the beginning…

"There you are!" Vala bounced up beside him, laden with an armload of paperbacks.

"Here I am," he agreed.

"Honestly, Daniel. You have an entire library at your fingertips and you find the darkest, dustiest, most moldy little corner and hole yourself up with--what are you reading, anyway?" she asked, ducking her head and turning to peer at the cover. "Daniel. That book has no title. You don't even know what it is, do you?"

"Yeah…yeah…" he murmured absently.

Vala gave a huff and shook her head. "All right. I'm going to look over there. Try not to get lost, darling."

"Mmm…" he responded automatically.

Vala wandered back up the aisle and turned the corner, running a finger lightly over the spines of some heavy looking old history books as she walked. Most of what was in this row appeared to be about the American Civil War, and she paused, pushing out her bottom lip thoughtfully. She and Sam had watched part of a very interesting movie a set in this time period, and she wondered if she might find out more about the lead character, a charming scoundrel by the name of Rhett Butler.

A young librarian appeared at the other end of the aisle and threaded her way through pulling a squeaky cart behind her. The two women exchanged nods and Vala went back to perusing the shelves while the librarian began to put returned materials back in their proper places. Vala reached upward, straining for a book over her head, and one of the paperbacks she was holding slid off the stack, narrowly missing her toe.

"Oooh!" she exclaimed softly.

The other woman glanced at her curiously.

"Sorry," she whispered.

"Would you like a basket for those?" the librarian smiled.

"Oh, yes, thank you," she nodded. "I'm Vala."

"Corrine. Nice to meet you," the other woman replied amiably. She gestured for Vala to follow, then led the way back to the entrance, where there were two stacks of plastic baskets. They were similar to the ones that Vala had seen in grocery and convenience stores, but blue and purple where those were usually either red or green.

"I suppose I got a bit carried away," Vala smiled as she dropped her books into one of the empty baskets and picked it up.

"It happens more than you might think," Corrine grinned.

"Actually, it doesn't surprise me. There's so much here, it's a wonder people don't spend entire days browsing. I have no idea how long it would take me to actually find something if I was looking for it," Vala said.

"Well, that's what the catalog system's for," replied Corrine.

"Oh," Vala glanced questioningly over her shoulder. "Those…computer terminals we passed over there?"

"Mmm-hmm. I can show you if you'd like," the librarian offered.

"Well, I wouldn't want to keep you from your work," Vala said uncertainly.

"This is part of my job," Corrine shrugged.

Vala nodded a thank you and the two women walked companionably over to the row of search terminals, about halfway between the circulation department and the wide, carpeted area where clusters of tables and chairs were arranged for patrons to sit and read. Corrine pulled over a tall wooden stool and slid onto it while Vala stood beside her. She leaned casually on the counter, nodding every so often as Corrine showed her how to access the digital card catalogue and explained the different types of search keywords that he system used, then explained the call numbers that were used to arrange the books.

"Now, while we're here, was there anything you'd like to search for?" she asked.

Vala frowned thoughtfully for a moment, then gave the librarian a speculative look. "I don't suppose that you would have anything here about Air Force regulations…?"

Corrine raised her eyebrows in surprise. "Air Force regulations?"

"Mmm-hmm," nodded Vala. "Research."

"Oh, are you writing a book or something?" Corrine smiled.

"Well, I might--someday," Vala replied.

"What's it about?" the librarian wanted to know.

"Oh--um. Well, there's this Air Force officer named Samatha. She's the protagonist. She's very smart, and beautiful but also sort of inhibited. Completely committed to her career. A war breaks out and she spends a long time on the front lines with…these three men, all of whom love her in their own ways. Daniel sort of sees her as a kindred spirit--a fellow geek, I guess. Murray respects her as a soldier, but also sees her as sort of a younger sister. Then there's Jack."

"He's in love with her?" Corrine asked eagerly.

Vala nodded. "He's the CO."

"What happens?" Corrine wanted to know.

"Well, see, that's where I'm stuck," explained Vala with a frustrated sigh. "I know that eventually Jack gets pulled off the front lines, and I _think_ that should allow Sam to be with him, but I have to make sure."

"Well, let's see what we can find out," Corrine grinned.

------

Daniel shuffled out of the stacks, wandering toward the tables where he and Vala had been sitting earlier. His attention was still on the old book in his hand, but he slowly looked up, glancing from side to side in search of her. When he didn't see her, he peered at his watch and shrugged. He meandered off again, certain that she would find him when she wanted him.

Eventually, he remembered an old Chinese folktale that he'd wanted to reference at work but hadn't been able to find in his collection. He knew it must be there, and he'd planned on finding it Monday afternoon, but he decided that since he was here, he might as well take a look. Still reading, he drifted into the Social Sciences section when he heard a familiar squeal.

Frowning, he trudged a few rows up and peered around a corner to find Vala standing with a blonde librarian, both of them grinning and pointing at something in the book that Vala was holding. He cleared his throat, and she jerked her head up.

"Oh, Daniel, there you are!" she exclaimed, slipping the book into the basket that she was carrying.

"Here I am," he replied.

She turned to look at her companion. "Corrine, this is my boyfriend, Daniel."

The other woman smiled in return, offering her hand. "Corrine LeClerc. Nice to meet you."

"Daniel Jackson," he replied as he stepped up to them. He clasped her hand, then asked, "Are you, um, new here? I know most of the library staff."

"My daughter and I just moved to Colorado Springs last month," Corrine nodded. "This is my second week."

"Well, I hope you enjoy it," he smiled.

"Thanks," she said, then glanced ruefully at her watch. "I hate to say it, Vala, but I'd better get back to work. Think you've got enough?"

Vala nodded and smiled, but Daniel caught the slight hesitation as she said, "I…think so, Corrine, thanks."

"No problem," she said, sidling past them. At the end of the aisle, she turned and looked back. "Oh! Y'know, there's a writer's group that meets here on Thursday nights if you're interested."

"I'll definitely think about it!" Vala smiled again--too eagerly.

Daniel waited until the librarian had disappeared back in the direction of the circulation desk and then tilted his head meaningfully and gave Vala a long look. "Writer's group?"

"Um. Long story…?" she offered, pressing her hand to the back of her neck.

"Yeah," he folded his arms. "I've got time."

He knew before she opened her mouth that he was about to hear one of her famous stories that were so full of tidbits of half-truth and bloated with embellishments that it could make a novel in its own right. His eyes slid closed, and he inhaled deeply, trying to decide whether or not he really wanted to try to figure out the truth this time.

When she didn't say anything, he opened his eyes to find her biting her lip. Her expression was both repentant and determined, and his eyebrows rose. Maybe she wasn't going to lie to him after all.

"I asked her to help me research Air Force regs," she confessed.

"What?" his mouth popped open.

"Told her I was writing a book about an Air Force Colonel in love with her CO," she explained.

Daniel didn't know whether to laugh or yell at her. He ran a hand over his face. "Vala--"

"Look," she interrupted. "From what we were reading, it _seems_ as though the frat regs may not apply to Sam and Jack because he isn't her direct superior anymore. The fact that he's still a part of her chain of command may not mean they can't date. I'm not sure, of course--all this legal mumbo jumbo isn't my thing--but maybe if you--"

"I don't--"

"Daniel, please," she cut him off again, reaching out to close her fingers around his wrist in silent entreaty. "I've never asked you--well--okay, I ask you for things all the time. But this is different. It's just that, being with you these past few months, I've been happy--and I know you have too. Sam and Jack deserve to be happy as well."

"Yes, they do," he said with a smile.

"Look, you've known them longer than I have. If either one of us should be willing to help, shouldn't it--what did you say?" she blinked.

"I said Sam and Jack deserve the chance to be happy too. You're right. That's why I talked to Jack right after we got home from the ski trip," he said.

"Oh."

"He was going to talk to a JAG," Daniel explained.

"Well, you could've said something!" she exclaimed.

"I thought Sam might wanna tell you herself," he said.

"Well, I guess I can forgive you, then," Vala smiled.

"So are you ready to go?" he asked, shaking his head fondly.

"It's up to you. I told you we'd do whatever you wanted," she reminded him.

"Vala, I could stay in a library for a week," he chuckled.

"What is that about how long it would take you to read everything?" she asked teasingly.

"No," he laughed. "Although I did read every book on Egyptian history and mythology that my local library had in a month when I was twelve."

"A month!" she stared at him.

Daniel shrugged. "I didn't have friends to distract me then. Books were my friends."

The hand on his wrist slipped up to his cheek and Vala smiled softly. "Well, darling, I'm glad you know who your friends are now."  



	28. The Rush

The rush had begun. In many ways, it was the same insane frenzy that took hold of the SGC every holiday season. Daniel thought that it probably had to do with the kind of work they did and the pressures of the secrets that the men and women of Stargate Command had to keep even from their closest friends and family. The winter holidays were an excuse--a viable reason for everyone to go a little crazy.

So, when he stepped off the elevator that morning, he was not surprised to see Airmen in elf hats toting sacks of gifts through the halls of Cheyenne Mountain. He stuffed his hands in his pockets and ducked his head, smiling to himself as he shuffled through the long gray corridor. When Teal'c and Mitchell fell into step beside him, he took the sight of the Jaffa wearing a similar hat as a matter of course.

"You an' Vala shoulda come shopping with us on Saturday, Jackson. You only got two weeks left, y'know," Mitchell said conversationally.

"Yep," Daniel nodded. "I know."

"DanielJackson typically completes his Christmas shopping in early March," explained Teal'c.

"_March?_" Mitchell's jaw dropped.

"He dislikes the holiday rush," Teal'c told him.

"Yeah, but March?" Mitchell continued to stare in disbelief.

"Well, actually, I didn't get it done until April this year," said Daniel with a shrug.

"Jackson," Mitchell sighed. "You an' Vala weren't dating in April."

They were reaching his office door, and Daniel stepped up to it, pushing it casually open with his shoulder. "I know," he said.

They followed him inside.

"Jackson," Mitchell repeated. "Don'tcha think maybe you oughta get her something else?"

Daniel frowned ponderously and scratched the back of his neck. "Huh?"

"Somethin' maybe a little more romantic than whatever you got her in April?" prompted Mitchell.

Daniel shrugged again. "Well, I dunno. She really does need new socks."

His teammates exchanged a shocked look. Then both turned and stared at him, obviously trying to determine if he was serious. Daniel walked over to his desk and sat down, picking up a heavy old volume that he'd been working with the previous Friday. Flipping open his notes, he grabbed a pencil and squinted in concentration.

"Did you guys, uh, want something…?" he asked.

"This is gonna be a helluva Christmas," remarked Mitchell, leaning back to pull open the door.

"Indeed," agreed Teal'c, following the CO out of the room.

------

Vala paused in the doorway of Sam's lab and gave the metal door a light rap with her knuckles. The Lt. Colonel was sitting on a stool beside the counter with her cast out in front of her. She had to sit sideways in order to work and so was bent awkwardly over some object that was festooned with multicolored blinking lights. Vala wasn't sure if it was an alien artifact or a Christmas decoration.

At the sound of Vala's knock, Sam jerked her head up. She turned quickly toward the open door and smiled at the sight of her friend. Vala moved inside with a smile of her own, carrying a Styrofoam cup in each hand. She set one down on the counter beside Sam and leaned her hip there as she opened the lid of the second one.

"Can I ask you something?" Vala asked, carefully sipping the steaming coffee.

"Sure," nodded Sam.

"Is it true that Daniel finishes all his Christmas shopping in April?" she asked.

"It's usually March," frowned Sam.

"Oh," Vala sighed.

"Why?" Sam asked.

"Well…" Vala bit her lip. "Never mind. It's silly."

"No, what?" prompted Sam.

Vala shrugged lightly. "We weren't dating in April. He keeps telling that he's giving me socks…"

Sam rolled her eyes. "Vala, I promise. Even Daniel couldn't be that clueless."

-------

Daniel left work early that afternoon. To cover himself, he actually had scheduled an appointment with his optometrist. Missing that appointment without giving a day's notice was going to cost him a $35.00 out of pocket fee, but he was willing to put up with the expense if it meant throwing Vala off his trail. He still had to drive in circles for more than half an hour to find a parking space at the mall, and once he spotted one, he nearly smashed his bumper when a kindly looking gray-haired old lady came screeching in from the other side of the parking lot and almost stole it from him.

"See--see, now this is why I hate the Christmas rush," he sighed to himself.

He pulled on his coat, hat, and gloves, checked his pocket for a final time and pushed open the car door. He ducked his head to shield himself from a frigid wind and trudged through the icy lot toward the mall entrance. Jack was nowhere to be found. Of course.

He gave another sigh and plodded down to the Food Court, certain that his friend would eventually show up there. The lines were naturally five miles long, and he got stuck behind a young mother with three screaming children in tow. Lifting his glasses, he massaged his eyes with the tips of his fingers and was beginning to wonder whether a soft pretzel was even worth this much of a hassle when finally--blessedly--he reached the counter.

Once he had the pretzel, he made his way to an empty table and slid into the closest chair to wait. It didn't take long. No sooner had he raised the pretzel to his lips and opened his mouth than did a familiar figure come jogging up out of the crowd. Jack halted in front of the table and grinned.

"Didja get it?" he asked, holding out his hand.

"Yes, Jack. I got it," replied Daniel, setting his snack down untasted. He reached into his coat pocket and withdrew a ring that Sam had let Vala borrow during the ski trip. "And, if she finds out that I paid an Airman to unlock her door…"

"Yeah, yeah, I know, Daniel," Jack wiggled his fingers. "C'mon, the jeweler's gonna close soon."

Daniel smiled and laid the ring in his friend's hand, then pushed back his chair and stood up. The two men left the Food Court in companionable silence, letting the throng push them in the general direction of the jewelry store.

"Hey, Daniel," Jack asked suddenly. "You're not…getting Vala a ring, are you?"

Daniel raised his eyebrows. "Jack, we've only been dating since October. It's--it's a little soon for that, don't you think?"

Jack shrugged. "Yeah. Guess it is."

Daniel smirked. "Don't worry. I'm not gonna steal your thunder."

"So, what are you getting her?" Jack wanted to know.

"Socks," replied Daniel flatly.

"Are you serious?" Jack demanded.

"Yep. I bought them in April," he replied.

Jack covered his face with his hand. "Daniel. I love you like a brother. But if you hand Vala a pair of socks on Christmas morning, I swear I'll punch you myself."

Daniel smiled. In some ways, this year's Christmas rush was no different from any of the past ten. In other ways--two very important ways--it was unlike anything that he or Jack had ever experienced. It was going to be Vala's first Christmas ever--and he was sure that watching Sam get engaged would _almost_ be her favorite gift.


	29. The Best Laid Plans

The team had decided to spend Christmas at Jack's cabin. Vala was still disappointed over the fact that they had been unable to book a trip to Hawaii, but since the idea had not occurred to anyone until Thanksgiving week, the one flight they had been able to find within their price range had only had three available seats. It took Daniel a while to be able to convince her that she couldn't sit on his lap all the way to Hawaii, but in the end she capitulated.

Now he, Jack, and Cam were busy trying to get the light display on the outside of the cabin to stop saying _Merry Y-Mas_. Teal'c had gone with Sam and Vala to help pick a Christmas Tree, and Daniel was beginning to wish he'd gone with them. He hadn't had a moment's peace all week. Between Vala snooping everywhere in attempt to find out what he was really planning for Christmas morning and Jack's growing anxiety about the ring, he was beginning to think _Y-Mas_ was an apt name for the holiday--as in _Why are we doing this again?_

He straightened from the power outlet in front of which he'd been kneeling and shoved his head out into the frigid wind. He quickly spotted Mitchell on the lawn, craning his neck to peer up at the roof. "Okay, how's that?" he yelled.

Mitchell gave him a thumbs-down. Daniel grit his teeth and resisted the urge to smack the window sill with the heel of his hand. He bent down again and inspected the various cords in the power-strip, then stood up again.

"You sure…?" he called. "Everything looks good in here."

"Says _V-Mas_ now," Mitchell shook his head.

"V-Mas," Daniel sighed. "Great."

"Oh, wait--there it goes…I think."

"You _think?"_

"Dang! Lit up for a second, now it says line-Mas," explained Mitchell.

"How can it say _line-Mas?"_ Jack barked, peering over Daniel's shoulder at Cam.

"Well, you know, sir. Like a diagonal line," he said, gesturing with a finger to demonstrate.

"Half of the the X, from one of the top corners down," Daniel said, turning to look at his friend.

"I _know,_ Daniel," Jack sighed. "Mitchell, get back up on the ladder. There's _gotta_ be a dead bulb or something up there!"

"Yessir," Cam let out a sigh of his own, muttering, "Times like this, I wish I had my _own_ wings."

"Jack…? Do you smell that?" Daniel asked, frowning toward the kitchen.

Jack turned, sniffing the air. "Smell what? Oh no--"

"The cookies!" Daniel exclaimed.

------

Vala wriggled uncomfortably in the back seat of Sam's car, trying to find a comfortable position despite being wedged between two very large shopping bags. She leaned over the one on the left, peering slowly into it, and a smile spread across her face. She hadn't been quite sure what to give Teal'c for Christmas until the moment she'd spotted the new Star Wars box-set in the mall. Fortunately, the Jaffa's back had been turned at the time, and there was only one left on display. She'd had to outrun a little old lady and a pimple-faced teenage boy in a Darth Vader t-shirt to get it, but she had managed not only to do so but to stuff the movies under the rest of her purchases before Teal'c had even turned to look at her again.

She, Sam, and Teal'c had conspired to volunteer for tree duty in order to provide a cover for last-minute shopping. Teal'c needed a gift for Mitchell, who had been with him on his previous two shopping excursions. Sam was still searching for the perfect gift for Jack; the sweater and cologne she'd already gotten him apparently weren't enough, and Vala had honestly wanted to find a less beat-up copy of Elizabeth Barrett Browning's _The Complete Poetical Works_ for Daniel, but her real goal had been to find _something_ for Teal'c. She had discovered over the last several weeks that Jaffa were extremely difficult people to shop for.

"Oooooooooh!" she exclaimed, suddenly shoving herself forward to reach for the volume control on the radio.

Teal'c's hand swooped down to cover hers before she reached it, and he turned to level a long, silent glare on her. She smiled brightly. His brow creased in a glower, and she sighed, reluctantly falling back against the seat again.

"You have already subjected ColonelCarter and myself to the CD version six times," Teal'c grumbled.

"Well, I have no control over what the radio stations air, do I?" Vala pointed out.

"I am no longer certain," Teal'c replied.

"Come on, Teal'c," Sam laughed from the driver's seat. "It's Christmas time."

"I am aware of the season, ColonelCarter," said the Jaffa flatly.

"Just think. In a few days you won't have to hear _Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer_ for a whole year," Sam reminded him.

"It will not be long enough," he said.

"Scrooge!" Vala declared.

Teal'c turned to her again and raised an eyebrow. "I am not a Scrooge."

"Oh?" challenged Vala. "Tell me something then."

Teal'c stared stoically.

Vala leaned forward again, giving him a conspiratorial wink. "You know what Daniel is really giving me for Christmas, don't you?"

"Indeed," rumbled the Jaffa.

"Well?" Vala prompted eagerly.

"I have answered your question," Teal'c said.

"Well!" huffed Vala. "You're not really going to sit there and _not_ tell me, are you?"

"Indeed," Teal'c repeated.

Before Vala could respond, the banter was interrupted by a loud buzz, and she glanced over Teal'c's shoulder to see Sam's cell phone vibrate its way across the dashboard. The Lieutenant Colonel reached out to snatch it before it skittered onto the floor.

"Carter," she said, and Vala briefly saw a smile reflected in the mirror. Seconds later, it became a concerned frown. "We're on the way back now. We had to stop at the mall. Teal'c needed something. What's the matter…"

She listened for a few moments, and the frown faded. She rolled her eyes in exasperation. "Okay, sir. I can handle the lights, but I think you're on your own with the cookies."

Vala shared a smirk with Teal'c over the fact that their friends were _still_ referring to one another as _Sir_ and _Carter,_ then asked, "What's going on now?"

"The cookies look like coal, and the sign on the roof says _Merry line-Mas,_" she sighed.  



	30. Of Men and Mutts

Sneaking the dog into the cabin on Christmas Eve _almost_ worked. Sam kept Vala in one of the bedrooms, where they were wrapping last minute gifts and watching _Gone With The Wind._ The movie seemed to be Vala's latest obsession. Daniel complained with complete honesty that he didn't feel like sitting through that on Christmas Eve. The boys were given leave to stay downstairs watching _A Christmas Story,_ which Mitchell apparently thought was the greatest movie ever made. For the first hour or so, Vala crept back out to the living room every five minutes, convinced that Daniel was up to something. She became steadily more irritated by the fact that, no matter how often she appeared, he hadn't so much as moved off the couch.

Finally, she gave him a long, nasty glare and huffed off, stomping back to the bedroom. He almost broke into a grin when he caught the running string of commentary on how even Rhett would never have been this sneaky and underhanded. They waited another hour to be sure that, if she hadn't given up, she had at least become so absorbed in the movie that she wouldn't hear them leave.

As soon as they had started dating, Daniel had known that the socks he'd planned to give Vala for Christmas--as rather pointed and obvious reminder that they were not, in fact, a couple, were going to be problematic. He hadn't been quite sure what to do about that until Carolyn mentioned that her neighbor's beagle was about to have puppies. Had it been a simple whim--give a girl a cute, furry companion--he wouldn't have even entertained the notion. He knew that his chances of being able to convince Landry to let Vala keep a dog on the base were slim to none--but it was a _beagle._

Despite his reputation for being both sensitive and intelligent, Daniel's track record with women had never been much to brag about. Although women found him attractive, he tended to be oblivious when it came to romantic involvement, and he knew it. He'd made more than his share of blunders in his relationship with Vala already. That said, though, he honestly would have had to be blind and deaf in order to miss an opportunity like this. Given the odd significance that Snoopy had come to have in their lives, he immediately realized that there couldn't have been a better present.

"I gotta give you props, Jackson," Cam remarked. "I didn't think you'd be able to pull it off."

"I haven't pulled it off yet," Daniel said, biting his lip worriedly.

"You ain't told Landry, have you?" Mitchell asked with a sigh.

"I thought it might be easier to convince him if there was a cute little beagle in the room," replied Daniel.

"You might be right," admitted Mitchell, pushing himself to his feet. "Okay, I'm gonna go get Doc an' the doggy."

Carolyn had picked up the dog from her neighbor a few days ago, and they had arranged for Cam to drive back to her apartment to bring both of them out here after Vala was safely asleep. Daniel peered nervously in the direction that Vala had gone. Then he glanced at the clock and reluctantly nodded. Sam was supposed to come out and let them know that Vala had fallen asleep, but it was getting late, and Carolyn was waiting.

"Okay. Just--just wait outside or something until I come out and tell you the coast is clear," Daniel said.

"Got it," agreed Mitchell.

Daniel spent the entire time he was gone looking nervously over his shoulder toward the window. After admonishing him once that all was going according to plan, Teal'c didn't comment. Normally, Jack would have made some wisecrack, but he was too busy pacing back and forth between the couch and the tree.

"C'mon, Teal'c," he urged finally. "I gotta practice it. You be Carter."

Daniel turned away from the window, gaping at his friends in surprise. Teal'c's eyebrow shot up in astonishment. Jack stared back at them, looking blankly from one to the other.

"What?"

"I don't think Teal'c is going to make a good Sam substitute," Daniel said thoughtfully.

"Okay, then you do it," Jack said.

"Me," Daniel replied skeptically.

Jack looked around slowly. "I don't see anyone else in the room…"

"Jack, I am not going to let you propose to me," Daniel told him.

"C'mon, Daniel! I'd do it for you!" Jack said.

"You would not," Daniel replied.

"Okay, maybe I wouldn't. But you're nicer than I am," Jack attempted.

"I'm not that nice," countered Daniel.

"Sure y'are," Jack said.

"No, Jack. I'm really not," Daniel insisted.

Fortunately for Daniel, they were still debating the matter when Cam and Carolyn pulled up outside. Cam's headlights flashed through the living room window, and Daniel waved frantically for him to cut the lights. They clicked off almost immediately, and the archaeologist let out a sigh of relief. A few tense minutes went by, and then Sam tiptoed into the room to whisper that Vala was asleep.

Grabbing his coat from the closet, Daniel flung it hurriedly over his shoulders and hurried outside. Sam, Jack, and Teal'c followed him out a few seconds later, and the group met Cam and Carolyn as they climbed out of Cam's truck.

It was too dark to see more than a squirming shadow as Carolyn shifted the puppy into Daniel's arms, but a frenzy of excited nuzzling and licking followed, assuring him that the dog at least felt that he was in the right place. He gave a small, half involuntary laugh and pulled back to avoid having a wet tongue in his nostril, then scratched the pup's floppy ears affectionately.

"Hey, little guy…" he started to say, breaking off at the sudden sound of a window being shoved open behind them. He turned in time to see Vala shove her head out and jab a finger at him in triumph.

"Aha!" 


	31. A New Tradition

Since Vala couldn't be induced to sleep once she actually had the puppy, the whole team took part in setting up food and water dishes in the kitchen, then Jack rather pointedly introduced the dog to the copious amounts of newspaper that he had spread by the door. Once this was accomplished, the entire group made its way into the living room, with the puppy instantly attaching himself to Vala and scampering after her. When she slid onto the couch beside Daniel, her new friend jumped up on her leg, letting out a plaintive whine.

"Well, you know who your Mommy is already, don't you?" she grinned as she scooped him into her lap.

"Hey, Jackson," Cam laughed. "Does that make you DoggyDaddy?"

"I…don't think so," Daniel said slowly.

Vala, who was in the process of having her face washed by the over-excited puppy, turned to him with a delighted laugh. "Oh, Daniel, you're not jealous of this adorable little thing, are you?"

"No," he replied. "But I don't exactly think I'm ready for joint custody of a dog, either."

"Well, what are you planning to do with him if my father doesn't let Vala keep him on base?" Carolyn arched an eyebrow.

"That's…a very good question," Daniel bit his lip.

"What?" Vala's eyes widened. "Oh, Daniel, how could you give him to me without clearing it with General Landry?"

"Vala, if worse came to worst, I did plan on keeping him at my apartment," Daniel promised, then his brow furrowed as he watched the two of them. "I was just hoping that we wouldn't have to go that route."

"Well, me too," she said with a pout, hugging the puppy against her chest.

"DoggyDaddy," declared Cam.

"Indeed," Teal'c agreed.

"Oh, come on you guys, cut it out," Sam laughed. "Hey, Vala, what are you going to name him?"

Vala looked up at her friend in surprise. Then she gave the puppy a long, speculative look. "That is a very good question. What do you think, boy?"

His response was a playful yip and another round of licking. Vala laughed and pulled her face back, holding him in front of her. He stretched his head forward, touching his wet little nose against hers, and she grinned again.

"Yes, you and I are going to get along famously, aren't we? But we do have to name you," she said mock-sternly.

"Snoopy seems apt," Jack spoke up with a cynical half-smile.

"Snoopy is entirely too obvious for a beagle," Vala shook her head.

"I believe he should be called Spike," remarked Teal'c gravely.

"That's it! Snoopy's brother! Muscles, you're brilliant!" Vala nodded eagerly. The Jaffa inclined his head in acknowledgement, the faintest trace of a smile touching his lips. Vala turned the wriggling puppy in her hands, presenting him to the rest of the team. "Everyone, meet Spike. SG-1's new mascot!"

"He's gonna need team badges," Cam said.

"Oh, and a cute little vest," Vala added.

"I think you can find something like that at PETCO," Sam spoke up.

"C'mon, Carter," Jack sighed. "Don't encourage 'em."

"Why not?" Sam arched her eyebrow.

"'Cause next they'll wanna take the dog through the 'Gate," Jack replied.

"Now there's an idea," Vala laughed, bending to set the dog on the floor again. She gave him a little pat. "Go and play."

"Just don't let him eat the tinsel," advised Carolyn. 

"_Eat it?_" Vala's eyes widened.

"When I was a kid, we had a St. Bernard who used to eat tinsel off of the tree. Actually, he would have eaten the _tree_ if he had the chance," the doctor explained.

"Oh," Vala frowned softly. "Well, you listen to Doctor Lam, Spike. No eating tinsel."

Spike spent the next hour or so exploring the cabin and its occupants. He did snuffle his way over to the tree once or twice but was willing to leave it alone after only the second reprimand. Once he'd satisfied himself that he had smelled every reachable corner and exhausted his interest in playing tug-of war with Teal'c--or more accurately, being dragged across the floor by Teal'c while holding one end of a green, squeaky rubber newspaper--he returned to Vala, this time managing to scramble onto the couch by himself.

He curled up in her lap, and she looked down at him with a smile, then returned her attention to the anecdotes that her teammates were sharing. It seemed that while there were many shared elements involved in the celebration of Christmas, individual households developed their own unique traditions. Some of them were endearing, some intriguing, and some were simply odd.

"The whole family used to go to my grandma's," Cam was saying. "We'd get there Christmas Eve and all us cousins would stay up all night--"

"Kinda like this?" Jack remarked.

"Yeah, 'cept if we got caught, we'd get yelled at," he smirked. "Anyway, 'bout five AM, we'd all sneak down and try to snatch the stockings."

"What did you get in them?" asked Sam.

"Candy, mostly. Few little things. Oh, and we always had $3.41," Cam replied.

"Three dollars and forty-one cents?" Sam repeated, raising her eyebrows. "Why?"

"I got a great-aunt who lived in Canada," Cam grinned. "Every year she used to send us one each coin. A toonie, a loonie, a quarter, dime, nickel and penny. Comes up to $3.41"

"Wait a minute," Jack frowned. "Canada's got money called a _loony?_"

"Loonie, Jack," Daniel corrected.

"That's what I said," the general replied.

"L-o-o-n-i-e," explained Daniel. "It's a one-dollar coin. A toonie is two dollars."

"Daniel, why do you know that?" Jack asked.

"He speaks how many languages?" Sam pointed out. "Somehow, I don't think it's too much of a stretch for him to have at least some knowledge of currencies."

"Well, I always said he was a storehouse of useless information," Jack shrugged.

Daniel rubbed his eyes. "Okay, c'mon, somebody else, let's hear a Christmas tradition. Sam! Vala's never heard yours."

"Well, my mother's family was Swedish, so we celebrated St. Lucia's Day on December 13th," Sam said with a faintly wistful smile. "It's a religious feast day in honor of a Christian martyr…"

"Martyr?" Vala's eyes widened.

"Christianity has a lot of those," Jack said.

"Early Christians tended to either persecute or be persecuted for their beliefs, depending on the particular era and region," explained Daniel.

"Oh, I see," Vala frowned.

"Anyway, St. Lucia's Day was sort of seen as the 'official' beginning of the Christmas season. Before my mom died, she'd make St. Lucia buns the night before. Then, I got to dress in a white robe and wear a wreath of candles on my head, and bring coffee and St. Lucia buns to my parents."

"_Candles on your head?_" repeated Vala.

"The light was supposed to represent the fire that refused to take Lucia's life," Sam related.

"But wasn't it dangerous?" Vala asked.

"They weren't real candles, just plastic with tiny light bulbs. The whole wreath was battery operated. I always wanted real candles, but I guess I was lucky to even have the fakes. My mom would get up early and help me get dressed and get everything ready. Then she'd go back to bed so I could bring breakfast in to them," Sam related. "Then, as far as Christmas itself, we had a tradition about the stockings and the tree. The house was decorated, of course, and all the rest of the ornaments went onto the tree as soon as we bought them, but the angel didn't go onto the top of the tree until Christmas Eve night. Then, just before bed, Mark and I would hang our stockings."

"Well, that's lovely," Vala grinned. Then she looked hopefully around at the rest of the group. "Who next?"

"Doc, how 'bout you?" Cam asked Carolyn.

"Well, when I was little, whether my dad was home or not, we used to spend Christmas Eve with his family. My grandma would always make boulabaise--a tomato based broth with fish, clams, and scallops in it. If Dad was home, he and I used to have this sort of mad shopping frenzy that night. He was usually behind on his shopping, and I'd say I was "taking him". I don't even remember how it got started."

"Well, somebody had to make sure there was a present under the tree for your mom, right?" Cam laughed.

"That's what I thought anyway," Carolyn agreed. "So, then, Christmas morning, before we opened the presents, the youngest kid there who could read always got to read the Christmas story from Luke 2 in the Bible."

"About the baby king?" Vala asked.

"Yeah," nodded Carolyn. "There are actually other versions of the story in the Bible, written by different authors, but that's the one people think of."

"It's the one Linus read in the Christmas special too, Vala," Daniel spoke up.

"Oh, we should _watch_ that!" she exclaimed. "Spike will love it!"

"I don't think Spike's gonna care too much about Charlie Brown," Daniel said.

"Of course he will. You just watch. You brought the DVD, didn't you?" she asked.

"Yeah," he smiled indulgently. "It's in the car."

"Well, go and get it, darling!" Vala urged. "We can make it part of our new Christmas tradition. Every year, the team has to spend Christmas Eve here, and after Daniel gives me a present, we all have to watch _A Charlie Brown Christmas._"

Daniel buried his face in his hands, and the room erupted with laugher. "After I give you a present," he sighed.

"Well, you're the one who gave me Spike," Vala pointed out. "It wouldn't be the same otherwise."

"Right," he shook his head. As he pushed himself to his feet, the puppy suddenly raised his head from Vala's lap. Daniel grabbed his coat from where he'd left it on the arm of the couch, and by the time he'd taken two steps toward the doorway, Spike had sprung to the ground. The dog trotted eagerly after him as he walked to the door, remaining firmly at his heel all the way out to the car.

Watching from the window, the rest of SG-1 turned to one another and shared a grin. Cam nodded knowingly and said again, "DoggyDaddy."

"Indeed," the rest of the team laughed. 


	32. All That Glitters

  
Spike ran off to play in the snow as Daniel started back toward the cabin. He heaved a sigh and tromped up to the deck to wait, figuring he might as well allow the puppy the opportunity to do his duty before the chaos of gift-opening began. Leaning his elbows on the railing, he gave a little smile and watched the team's furry little friend come close to burying himself in a snow-drift. After a few minutes, he heard the door creak open behind him and turned to see Vala carrying a steaming mug in each hand.

"We're out of eggnog. I thought you might like some hot chocolate," she smiled.

"Thanks," he said, reaching to accept one of the mugs. He sipped it gratefully, then slipped his free arm around her waist, pulling her gently against his chest.

"You're welcome," she said, tilting her head to let her cheek rest on his shoulder. "Daniel, I'm sorry I tried to ruin your surprise."

"No you're not," he smirked.

"All right, no I'm not," she admitted. "But I do love him. He's wonderful. Thank you."

"You're welcome, Vala," he said. "I just hope that General Landry likes Spike as much as we all do."

"How could anyone not like Spike!" Vala laughed. At the sound of his name, the puppy's head popped out of the snow-drift and he waded his way as fast as his little legs could carry him back to the deck.

"Hey, he knows his name already!" Daniel laughed.

"Well, he's very smart. Takes after his Daddy," Vala grinned wickedly.

"C'mon, don't start that," Daniel sighed.

"You'd better get used to it, darling," Vala said as the dog hopped his way up one step at a time. "There's a very real possibility that this little fellow is going to be your new roommate."

"That doesn't mean I own him, Vala," Daniel shook his head

"Well, all right, but you're still going to have to convince him of that," said Vala as Spike reached the top of the deck and scurried over to them, his toenails clicking on the wooden surface. He pressed himself against Vala's leg, visibly shivering now, and she hurriedly bent to pick him up. "Oh, are you cold?"

His fur was wet with half-melted snow, and the couple quickly brushed him off, then Vala unzipped her coat and slipped him inside it. Once there, he squirmed and wriggled until his head was resting on her shoulder. She laughed softly and turned to give his still damp muzzle a kiss while Daniel glanced up at the sky, which was beginning to turn pink with the first hint of sunrise.

"Maybe we should head inside anyway," he suggested. "It's morning, and Jack's gonna want to get to the presents."

"What's he planning?" Vala frowned.

Daniel grinned. "You'll see."

She narrowed her eyes, giving him a long, dire look of warning, which she slowly allowed to melt into an answering smile. "You're becoming entirely too good at keeping secrets from me."

"Thank you," he laughed. Then his expression became serious as he leaned toward her mouth and whispered, "Merry Christmas, Vala."

"Merry Christmas, Daniel," she replied, tilting her head toward him in return.

Just before their lips met, Spike gave a plaintive yip and wriggled back off of Vala's shoulder. He gave her face a quick lap with his tongue and then twisted to bestow the same on Daniel. Both of them froze for a second, startled at the intrusion, then laughed, and bent together to give either side of the puppy's head a kiss.

------

Inside, Vala made everyone promise that they would watch A Charlie Brown Christmas as soon as the presents were opened. Then Teal'c took his customary place beside the tree and Jack produced a Santa hat from the fireplace mantle. Once he had donned the hat, Teal'c marshaled everyone into a loose semicircle around the room, with Daniel and Vala back on the couch, Spike stretched out between them with his body in Daniel's lap and his head on Vala's knee. Jack took the armchair, pulling Sam onto his lap as he lowered himself into it, while Cam reclined on the floor with Carolyn sitting beside him.

The handing out of presents took longer than Vala would have expected, first because Teal'c was careful to make sure that he doled out the gifts in order, so that no one received two presents before the next person had been given one. Spike's curiosity was peaked, and he kept springing off the couch to sniff at things or play with boxes and wrapping paper until Daniel or Vala called him back. The opening of each present also had to be accompanied by picture taking and a running commentary over the gift itself, especially when it came to Teal'c's Star Wars box-set. It was a new release, featuring extended versions of all six of the movies, plus a whole variety of special features and deleted scenes. Apparently, both Jack and Cam had tried to find it for him and been unsuccessful, so the entire team was impressed with Vala's cunning and ingenuity.

Soon enough, however, Jack prodded them all back to the still wrapped presents. Sam raised a questioning eyebrow at him, but he only shrugged in reply. Her suspicions had been roused, though, and she shot a glance at Vala. Her friend could only shake her head apologetically, and both women waited eagerly for him to spring his surprise. They were still waiting twenty minutes later when the last of the gifts had been opened and Teal'c took off the Santa hat, replacing it on the mantle.

Seemingly oblivious, Jack, Daniel, and Cam all rose from their seats, complaining good naturedly about how much they hated cleaning up after everything was opened. Carolyn started to help immediately, but Sam and Vala remained unmoving, frowning back and forth between their friends and each other. Finally, Jack turned to them with a disgusted sigh.

"Hey, are you two gonna sit there all morning or what?" he asked pointedly.

"What--oh--sorry, sir. Jack," Sam corrected herself, then planted her hands on the arms of the chair and pushed herself to her feet. "I'll go get the broom."

Cam managed not to snicker until she was out of the room. Daniel, who had until then been entirely straight faced, covered his mouth with his hand to stifle a laugh. Teal'c's mouth slowly spread in a smile. Vala jumped to her feet.

"All right, what is it?" she whispered fiercely. 

"Where is it?" added Carolyn, glancing around the room.

"You gals are just gonna have to wait," smirked Cam.

Sam returned a few minutes later, and Jack was leaning over in an attempt at reaching a piece of blue wrapping paper which had somehow migrated halfway behind the tree. He finally grabbed it, straightened again, and took a few steps back. Suddenly he cocked his head and looked up at the tree, glanced toward Teal'c with a frown.

"Hey, T, you forgot one," he remarked.

"I did not," replied the Jaffa.

"Ya did so!" insisted Jack, pointing up at the ornaments on the branch he was looking at. "It's right there."

Teal'c walked over to stand behind him, peering in the direction that his friend indicated. He clasped his hands behind his back and studied the tree for a long moment, then said calmly, "I do not see anything, O'Neill."

"It's right--" Jack took a step toward the tree and snatched something off of it. "--here."

Teal'c frowned in surprise and took the object from his friend's hand, holding it up for examination. As he did, Vala saw a small red velvet pouch with white trim and a gold drawstring from which it had been dangling on the tree. She had noticed it before but had always mistaken it for an ornament. So, apparently, had Sam, whose face suddenly flushed as red as the pouch itself. Guessing what was in it as well, Vala began to grin and unconsciously reached for Daniel's hand.

"It appears to belong to ColonelCarter," Teal'c rumbled.

"Oh…?" Jack feigned surprise.

Teal'c carefully opened the pouch and peered inside, then extended his hand toward Jack, who repeated the display. Both of them then looked at each other with a deep frown. "Perhaps it is better that you give this to her yourself, O'Neill."

"Yeah," Jack said slowly. "I think you're right."

Teal'c handed it to him with a bow, then slipped back a few steps. Jack looked down at the pouch in his hand, took a breath. He stood there for a few seconds, then shrugged, turning toward Sam. Watching him, she bit her lip, but tears had already begun to slip down her cheeks. He slowly walked over to her, offered a half smile and looked into her eyes for a long moment. Then he sank down on one knee, shook the ring into the palm of his other hand, and held it up to her.

"Marry me, Carter."

Sam nodded, trying vainly to wipe the tears from her face. Jack took her hand, silently slipping the ring onto her finger, and then pushed himself back to his feet. Sam's hands slid over his shoulders, and he pulled her into a kiss that was the culmination of ten years of silent devotion.

"Yes!" Vala whispered.

Daniel smiled, leaning toward her ear to whisper, "Mission accomplished." 


	33. When Cute and Cuddly Doesn't Cut It

  
A few days after Christmas, the five members of SG-1 stood in front of General Landry's desk. Their would-be mascot rested comfortably in Vala's arms, his small white and brown paws draped over her forearm. The general glared at them in disbelief and slowly shook his head. Vala pouted. Teal'c glowered in disappointment, Sam bit her lip, and a frown of consternation creased Daniel's forehead. Mitchell took a step forward, resting a hand on the general's desk.

"Now, come on, sir. I know it ain't exactly regulation, but…"

"But what?" Landry prompted, raising his bushy eyebrows expectantly.

"Vala's really attached to him," Mitchell said.

Both Daniel and Sam shot him looks that were clearly unimpressed. Daniel saw him wince and guessed that he had, already realized that Vala's attachment to Spike was probably the last thing that was going to sway Landry. Vala, however, pasted on her trademark grin and bobbed her head eagerly. For emphasis, she cuddled the puppy and rested her cheek against the top of his head, then peered hopefully at Landry again.

"See?"

"SG Teams don't have mascots," Landry told them firmly.

"But, sir--" Sam began.

"General--" Daniel started at the same time.

"General Landry--" Teal'c spoke up as well.

Landry quickly held up a hand. "I won't say this again."

SG-1 heaved a collective sigh. Mitchell slowly nodded and stepped back. Following his lead, Sam and Daniel ducked their heads, and Teal'c gave a half bow of acknowledgement. Vala looked from one to the other of them and finally nodded.

"Yes, sir," she said, turning to slip through his office door.

The rest of the team followed her out a few seconds later. Daniel slid his arm comfortingly around her shoulders, while Sam and Mitchell leaned dejectedly against the opposite wall. Teal'c clasped his hands behind his back and waited placidly, but Daniel could detect a slight sag in the Jaffa's posture as well.

"Hold up," Mitchell said suddenly, eyes widening.

"What?" Vala asked.

"I got an idea," he said. "Y'all go wait for me in Vala's quarters."

"Where are you going?" Sam asked.

Mitchell pushed himself off the wall, and took off down the hall at a fast clip, throwing over his shoulder, "I'll be back in a few minutes." 


	34. Because I Asked You To

  
Carolyn looked up from her clipboard, smiling at the sight of Cam in her office doorway. He stood leaning on the doorframe and offered a tight smile in return. She frowned at the expression, realizing that it probably meant the meeting between SG-1 and her father about Spike's future on the base hadn't gone well.

"Bad news?" she asked.

He nodded. "SG Teams don't have mascots."

Carolyn sighed softly. "What are you going to do?"

"Well, replied Cam, pushing himself lazily off the wall. He crossed the room and perched on the edge of her desk, offering her a winning grin. "That's why I'm here."

"Huh?" she asked. "Oh, no, Cam. You want me to talk to him?"

"Why not? You're his daughter," Cam said.

"Yeah, but you know we're not like that," she shook her head. "I can't go asking him for favors."

"Wouldn't have to be that way," Cam shook his head. "I just thought he might listen to you. Figured it was worth a shot."

Carolyn bit her lip reluctantly. "Well, I don't know…"

"S'ok," Cam shrugged. "Won't take Vala long to decide to try and annoy him into submission anyway."

"Well, this way might be a little more pleasant for the rest of us," Carolyn admitted.

"That's what I'm thinkin'," nodded Cam.

"Okay," she agreed, pushing back her chair. "I'll give it a shot, but I'm not making any promises."

"Fair enough," Cam said, sliding to his feet as she walked around the desk. She started for the door, but his hand suddenly shot out to catch her sleeve. "Hey, Doc?"

She felt herself flush slightly and turned back to face him. "You know I hate being called Doc."

"Sorry," he grinned unrepentantly.

"You look it," she shook her head fondly.

"So, you wanna catch a movie this weekend?" he asked.

"Yeah," she smiled, then pulled her arm free and headed out the door.

She strode briskly through the main infirmary and into the hall. Once there, she took a moment to catch her breath, hoping he hadn't actually_seen_ her blush, and then hurried toward her father's office. The base was still festooned with Christmas decorations, and she nodded to several Airmen at work removing garland and strings of lights.

She found her father sitting at his desk with his eyes closed, pinching the bridge of his nose with two fingers. He quickly pulled his hand away from his face as she came in, and his eyes popped open. He smiled a greeting, but she crossed her arms.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing," he shook his head. "Tension headache. SG-1 was just in here."

"Uh, yeah. I heard," she said, slowly letting her arms fall to her sides. 

"Come on, Carolyn! Don't tell me you're in on this too!" he sighed.

"I just think it would be good for morale," she attempted.

"Right," he closed his eyes.

"Especially for Vala," Carolyn continued.

"Oh?" he raised an eyebrow.

"Think about it. When she's not offworld with SG-1, she's stuck here. How would you like it?" she asked.

"I wouldn't," he admitted. "But how exactly is a puppy supposed to fix that?"

"Well, it won't, I guess. But it would give her something else to focus on. Something positive," Carolyn replied. "Besides, if Teal'c wanted a dog, you'd let him have it."

"I would not," he shook his head.

"Oh, come on! You would too!" she insisted.

"Even if I would, Carolyn, Teal'c has earned it. He's been here more than ten years."

"Vala's paid her dues this year," Carolyn crossed her arms again. "Don't say she hasn't."

"Look, if I let one team have a mascot, they're all gonna want one," he argued. "I can't have twenty-six beagles running around. This is a military base!" he insisted.

"So, make him the SGC's mascot and assign him to SG-1," she said.

"What?" his eyes widened in disbelief.

"Why not?" she challenged.

"You want me to _assign_ a dog to an SG Team?" he asked.

"Yes. It's not like he'd ever really go through the 'Gate," she said.

"Carolyn, she can get a _plant_--or a hobby. Give me one good reason--"

"Because I _asked_ you to!" the words were out of her mouth before she realized she'd spoken them.

Her father stared back at her for a long minute. Then he slowly nodded. "All right. But if the IOA finds out, I'm sending them to you, Doctor."

"Understood, sir," she agreed.

Vala flopped onto the couch in her quarters, still holding the puppy. Daniel sank down on her right side, slipping his arm around her again. Teal'c took the other side, while Sam perched on the edge of the coffee table. Vala looked down at Spike with a drawn out sigh.

"Well, boy. It looks like you'll have to stay with your Daddy after all," she said.

He smiled wanly, this time offering no objection to the title. He knew, of course, that he would also have to accept Teal'c and Mitchell's moniker of "DoggyDaddy", but he couldn't complain about it now. He really had hoped that they would be able to convince Landry, though, and not only because the alternative was for him to acquire a canine roommate.

"Perhaps ColonelMitchell's plan will be successful," Teal'c spoke up.

"We don't even know what his plan is," Vala pointed out.

"It would not be the first time," said Teal'c.

"I suppose you have a point," Vala admitted.

Spike wriggled out of her grasp, springing onto the floor, and the team watched him wander around Vala's quarters for a few minutes, exploring the various pieces of furniture and interesting corners and crevices to crawl into. Then, Vala leaned forward and picked up the remote control from the table beside Sam. She flipped the channels for a while, finding nothing of interest, and finally settled on the TV Guide channel.

After a few moments of idly watching the listings roll up the screen, Daniel suggested, "D'you wanna watch Charlie Brown?"

"No, it's too depressing," Vala replied.

"Vala, you can see him at Daniel's whenever you want," Sam said, resting a hand on her friend's knee.

"I know, but it's not the same," said Vala.

"I'm sorry, honey, I guess I shouldn't have--" Daniel broke off at the sound of a knock at the door. Spike turned toward the door as well, barking a warning.

"Spike, hush. It's all right, Daniel," Vala told him, getting to her feet. 

She crossed the room and opened the door to reveal a grinning Cam and Carolyn. Sam, Daniel, and Teal'c all exchanged smiles as well, guessing which string their CO had managed to pull. Vala stepped back to let them inside, looking from one to the other hesitantly. It couldn't have been hard for her to figure out what the pair were so happy about, but she also wasn't used to having friends who were willing to go out on a limb for her. Daniel's smile softened a bit as he watched them.

"Well," Mitchell said, still grinning. "Looks like Vala won't have to say goodbye to Spike."

"Really?" Vala asked excitedly.

"The SGC has a new mascot," Carolyn explained.

"Landry's gonna officially assign Spike to SG-1 next week," added Mitchell.

"Mitchell, you're genius!" cried Vala.

"Don't thank me," he shook his head. "Carolyn did all the work."

Impulsively, Vala sprang forward, throwing an arm around both of their necks. The couple froze for a second, startled by the show of affection, then each wrapped an arm around her in return. Spike took the opportunity to dart for the open door, apparently bored with exploring Vala's quarters, but Daniel dove off the couch to catch the puppy before he could make his escape.

"Oh, no, you don't, little guy!" he said. Sam snickered softly, and he turned to face her. "What…?"

"DoggyDaddy," she laughed.

"Oh, come _on_, Sa--"

"Indeed," Teal'c interrupted.

"Teal'c!" Daniel cried.

"Face it, darling," Vala said as she, Cam and Carolyn broke their hug to join the rest of the group. "We have joint custody of a puppy." 


	35. Assignment SG1

  
Carolyn joined General O'Neill and the members of SG-1 in her father's office the morning that Spike received his assignment. She hung back by the door, reluctant to intrude on the team moment, but Cam turned to look over his shoulder at her. He winked, gesturing casually for her to stand beside him, so she pushed herself off the doorframe and walked over, smiling as Vala placed the puppy atop her father's desk and coaxed him to sit.

A trip to PETCO earlier in the week had afforded him a military-style vest and several bandannas, one of which he was wearing now. There was only one thing missing. Her father reached inside his desk to remove a little box from the top drawer. He handed it ceremoniously to Cam, who slid it open to display the now-familiar SG-1 team badges, which all of the team, including General O'Neill, had donned for the event. Cam took them out of the box and presented them to Vala with equal solemnity.

"Now, this is a big responsibility, Spike," Vala said as she affixed a badge to the back of the puppy's vest. "But, I know you won't let us down."

Spike looked curiously back at her and tilted his head, seeming wonder if his human friends had all lost their minds. Vala finished with the badge and stood back, allowing everyone a moment to applaud. Then she frowned, pursing her lips thoughtfully. She glanced from the dog to the general and then to the rest of her team.

"I don't suppose we could make him an honorary member of the Air Force as well?" she asked.

"What?" Carolyn's father asked, eyes widening.

"Well, then he could have one of those nifty little code names. Like…" she turned questioningly toward Cam. "What's yours, Mitchell? I've forgotten."

"Shaft," he said slowly. "But I don't think…"

"No," the general said flatly.

"But--"

"No."

"Oh, all right," she huffed, scooping the dog back into her arms. She gave him a little hug, then grinned, "Come on, everyone. Pizza in my quarters."

"You're springing for pizza?" Sam asked in surprise.

"Of course not. DoggyDaddy is," Vala winked, slipping past Daniel, who swatted her backside lightly as she exited the room. "Hey!"

"You asked for that!" he called after her, then followed her out of the room. General O'Neil rolled his eyes at their antics, but a smile flickered over his lips as he and Sam exited the room together. Teal'c filed out after them, leaving Cam and Carolyn with her father.

"Everyone means you too," Cam told her, moving to the door and gesturing her through with a flourish.

"What, you think I'd turn down free pizza?" she laughed, shaking her head fondly. 

"Just makin' sure," he replied. He swept out into the hall with her, the fingers of his left hand lightly brushing her arm as they fell in step.

"I still think he needs a code name," Vala was saying conversationally. Everyone should. Why don't you have one, Sam?"

"It's called a _call sign_," Sam explained with a laugh. "Pilots use them to communicate over the radio. The idea is that it's quicker to use a call sign than name and rank. Personally, I think it just makes them feel special."

"Yep. Exactly," General O'Neill agreed.

Cam rolled his eyes and heaved a put-upon sigh. "I'm not even gonna touch this one."

"Good for you, Mitchell," Vala called over her shoulder. Then she paused and frowned lightly. "Wait, where's General Landry?"

"I'll get him," Carolyn volunteered. She spun around, hurrying back toward her father's office. Shoving her head through the open door, she called, "Hey, you're supposed to be having pizza too--"

She broke off as soon as she caught sight of him, still standing in front of the desk. His right hand covered his forehead, fingers pressed against his temples in an obvious gesture of suppressed pain. Carolyn straightened, crossing her arms as she stepped through the door again.

"You got another headache?" she asked.

He hurriedly looked up, shaking his head in dismissal, and smiled. "Well, can you blame me? I work in a circus."

"Yeah, well, it's never caused headaches before," she said, stepping closer.

"Sure it has," he told her, waving a hand. "Carolyn, you gotta learn to stop being a doctor once in a while."

She tilted her head skeptically. "Why haven't you been to see me?"

"Because I knew we'd end up having a conversation just like this," he replied lightly. "People get headaches."

"Yes, and sometimes those headaches are symptoms of a serious medical condition," she said.

"And sometimes they're just headaches," he said over his shoulder. "Now, c'mon. Let's get some pizza."

"Wait a minute--"

"Carolyn, Mitchell's waiting."

_"What!"_ she exclaimed at his disappearing back.

"What do you think I am, blind?" he yelled back.

"What…? Dad…!" 


	36. Disappointments

  
Cam boosted himself onto the edge of Carolyn's desk, leaning on his elbow to study the movie listings. Most of what was playing were either hardcore action flicks or heavy romance, both of which presented a problem. Blood and guts didn't strike him as the kind of thing to take a girl to see on the first date--especially a doctor--and while he had no objection to a little real romance, it was a bit too soon to suggest a movie so overtly oriented to couples. Carolyn was carefully avoiding those as well, which left them two choices.

"I liked _Freedom Writers_, but I don't think I'd see it again," she said.

"Yeah, I'm not too hot on seein' it at all," he agreed.

"What about _Charlotte's Web?"_ she asked.

"You gotta be kidding me," he replied.

"What?" she looked up with a frown.

"It's a kids' movie," he sighed.

"The book is a classic," she argued. "I read it a million times when I as a kid. I had this beat up old copy of it that I used to take everywhere."

"You're kidding me," he blinked.

"Nope," she shook her head with an ironic smile.

He rubbed his eyes. "Well, all right. Ain't nothing better playing anyway."

"Good," she grinned. "Looks like showtimes are 6:15 and 8:30."

He glanced at his watch. "If we leave now, we can catch the 6:15"

"Okay," she agreed, pushing back her chair to get to her feet. As she walked around to the other side of the desk, a familiar figure appeared in her office door.

Cam leapt off the desk, coming to rigid attention at the sight of the general. There was no way Landry hadn't seen him making himself at home on the desk, though, and he could only hope that his face wasn't as red as it felt. Carolyn shot him a sidelong glance and rolled her eyes. The general himself smiled in faint amusement and waved a hand.

"At ease, loverboy," he chuckled.

Carolyn ran a hand over her face and rubbed her forehead. "Was there something you wanted, sir?"

"That Tylenol you gave me last week doesn't seem to be working," he replied.

Cam arched an eyebrow. Carolyn hadn't said anything about her father needing painkillers the other day. He supposed it was none of his business, but word tended to get around when something was wrong with the general.

"All right," said Carolyn with a brisk nod. "Tomorrow morning, I'm booking you for a full physical with Dr. Alvarez. For now, I'm driving you home."

"Carolyn, I'm fine," he said with a sigh.

"Yeah, and you're going to stay that way. Go get your coat," she told him. 

He rolled his eyes and gave his head an exasperated shake, but turned around without argument and walked back through the main infirmary. Cam started to laugh, but his amusement melted at the worried frown on Carolyn's face. She folded her arms, bit her lower lip, and looked awkwardly between him and the door where her father had disappeared.

"Sorry, I guess the movie's off," she said.

"It's okay," Cam shook his head. "You all right?"

"I'm worried about him," she confessed. "He's had a headache for three days."

"Listen," Cam smiled, laying his hands supportively on her shoulders. "If I had a dime for every week-long headache I got in this job, I'd be set for life. Don't worry so much."

"Yeah," she nodded uncertainly, shifting her gaze to the floor between them.

"I know," he said quietly, tilting her chin back up with the tip of his index finger. "He's your Dad."

She gave another nod and swallowed hard. Cam smiled again. Whatever problems Carolyn had with her father, it didn't change who they were, and despite the tensions in their relationship, he knew how much they meant to each other. He drew her gently against his chest, giving her a light, reassuring hug, then slipped his hands back up to her shoulders and caught her gaze again.

"Look, go on, take him home. I'll hang out here--watch TV with Jackson and Vala or something. Maybe we can still catch the 8:30 show," he said.

------

Vala slipped into Daniel's office, followed closely by Spike. She had planned to sneak up on the archaeologist, who predictably enough was bent over the worktable, leaning on his elbow with one end of his glasses held between his teeth. The sound of scrabbling puppy toenails, which seemed to follow her everywhere these days, made stealth rather impossible.

Daniel turned to look over his shoulder as they came in, and he pulled the glasses out of his mouth to offer her a smile before returning his attention to the mess on the table. "Hey, you two."

"Hello," Vala planted her chin on his shoulder, threading her arms around his waist. She blew a slow stream of air along the side of his neck, and he shivered at the contact, then tried to wave her away.

"C'mon, Vala, I gotta finish these translations," he reminded her.

"Daniel, that's what you said an hour ago. It's after hours. I thought we were going to watch Star Wars tonight."

"I know," he sighed. "But SG-15 really needs this done."

"Well, why can't their archaeologist do it?" she pouted.

"He's got the chicken pox," Daniel explained.

"The what?" she asked.

"Chicken pox," he explained. "It's a virus that gives you small, red, very itchy bumps. And they spread if you scratch them. "

"Is it contagious?" she asked, eyes widening.

"Yes, but you can only get it once, and I've had it," Daniel explained. "Most people get it in childhood."

"Oh, you must have looked adorable!" she grinned.

"What!" he turned his head in surprise.

Vala pointed at his face, still smiling, "With little red bumps all over your face."

"I was miserable!" Daniel sighed. "It was one of the worst experiences of my life!"

"Which would have made you even more adorable," she told him.

"Right," he turned back to the table again.

"How close are you?" Vala asked.

"Not very," he said absently.

"Oh. So, I should leave you alone, shouldn't I?" she asked.

"Mmm-hmm."

"All right," she said, letting her hands drop to her sides. She started for the door again, gesturing for the puppy to follow. "Come, Spike. I guess I'll just have to cuddle with you again."

"Very funny…" Daniel called after them.

She closed the door softly behind her, then frowned as she caught sight of Mitchell coming from direction of the infirmary. The team was well aware that their CO had a movie date scheduled for this evening, and the slump-shouldered posture didn't bode well. Vala quickly assumed a bright smile and bounded into his path.

"Hi there!"

"Hi," he replied, lips twitching slightly.

"No movie tonight?" she asked.

"Maybe later," he said, crouching to pet Spike. "Carolyn had to take her dad home."

"Is he all right?" Vala asked.

"Yeah, just a headache," Cam assured her as he straightened again.

"Well, in that case, Daniel is still busy with those translations for SG-15, Sam is trying to prod Jack into helping her choose flower arrangements, and Teal'c is offworld someplace with Bra'tac. Which means that I have no one to watch Star Wars with me tonight. How about you?"

"All right," Cam nodded. "Sounds like a plan."  



	37. The Duel

  
Since Vala had given Teal'c a new Star Wars box set for Christmas, the Jaffa had decided to donate his old Star Wars movies to her growing DVD collection. Vala liked the Prequel Trilogy best, while Cam liked the Original Trilogy, After some debate, they finally decided to watch A New Hope, which was the only one of the three original movies to feature Obi-Wan in a prominent role.

Cam carried the popcorn back to the couch while Vala busied herself with the DVD. He propped his feet on the coffee table, cradling the bowl in one arm, and grabbed handful. Then he held his hand above his face, idly letting the drop into his mouth a few at a time. Spike squeezed himself between the table and the couch and sat there looking up at him with such a forlorn expression that the Lieutenant Colonel smirked and tossed some of them in the puppy's direction.

"I still think you only like the prequel movies 'cause you think Obi-Wan's hot," Cam told Vala.

"I do not," she replied, giving his crossed feet a swat as she walked around the table and flopped onto the couch beside him. "Well. Yes, I do. But that's not why I like the prequels. Alec Guinness isn't the least bit attractive in A New Hope, and I still like Obi-Wan."

Cam shrugged. "Okay. Guess You got a point. So, why do you like Obi-Wan so much?"

"He intrigues me," said Vala as she picked up the remote to turn on the previews. "Besides, the fight scenes are much better in the prequels."

"The fight scenes?" Cam raised his eyebrows.

"Mmm," she nodded. "Look at all that spinning and cartwheeling Darth Maul does."

"I thought you said he was creepy," Cam reminded her.

"He is creepy, but that doesn't make his sword fighting less impressive. And that scene in the second movie where Obi-Wan absorbs Dooku's Force lightning with his lightsaber!" Vala went on.

"Yeah, but I mean, the Luke/Vader duels are classic!" argued Cam. "When those movies came out, kids'd be running around with brooms and mop sticks, pretending they was Luke and Vader."

"Well, my dear Colonel, I don't have your cultural bias," Vala pointed out.

"Right," Cam laughed. "Nevermind, let's just watch the movie."

Vala nodded agreement, reaching for a handful of popcorn. They managed to get through the rest of the previews and into the opening crawl before she said anything else, which was about what he'd expected. Vala then started a running commentary, which didn't let up until Obi-Wan showed up in the Jundland Wastes to rescue Luke from the Sandpeople. Once he was on screen, she finally fell silent, and Cam had to laugh to himself. He would have expected Vala to like Han Solo far more than any of the Jedi, but it seemed like she always fell for the intellectual types.

She didn't say much until the Vader duel started, and then she became more interested in talking about how little sense it made that Obi-Wan lost than in actually watching the duel. This led to another debate about whether the Original Trilogy was better than the prequels, which wasn't settled until Vala sprang off the couch and disappeared into the closet beside her bathroom.

"I know how to settle this!" her voice drifted out to him.

"What?" Cam called. "Vala, what are you doing?"

She reappeared a few seconds later, toting a broom in one hand and a mop in the other, and bounded back over to him. Spike, who had been dozing on the couch, now cocked his hears and sat up, puzzled by the strange antics of his owner. Vala tossed the mop to Cam and then flipped the broom upside down to begin taking off the head.

"What are you doing?" Cam repeated, though he already had a fairly good idea what she had in mind.

"You did mention duels, didn't you?" she arched an eyebrow.

"Uh…?"

"Come on, Mitchell," she urged. "You don't mean to tell me that after all the practice you've had with swords and krantu staffs since I've known you , you're afraid you'd lose to me with a broom?"

"Lose!" Cam sat forward sharply.

Vala gave a slow smile and spun the broom handle in a blatant challenge. "I think that's what I said."

"All right," Cam snapped to his feet, quickly unscrewing the mop head. "That's it!"

The pair quickly grabbed either end of the coffee table and pushed it back against the couch. Then they walked into the center of the room, eyed each other for a few seconds, and hefted their weapons, tossing them from hand to hand experimentally. Spike sprang off the couch and scampered excitedly between them, but scurried off again as soon as Vala's broomstick made a swift cut toward Cam's shoulder. He raised his mop handle to block, then slashed downward, trying for her knee. She stepped back, catching the blow easily on the side of her stick, but Cam pressed in with a flurry of quick stabs and slashes designed to put her on the defensive.

His advantage didn't last long. Vala leapt backwards, landing catlike on the arm of her easy char, then vaulted off again, somersaulting over his head. As she landed, she jabbed the broom handle backwards, and he barely managed to pivot and angle to mop in order to avoid a blow to the stomach. Then he lunged, slashing toward her wrist in an effort to knock the weapon from her hand.

Vala sidestepped, moving back toward the door as she whirled the broomstick out of his reach. He followed, and the battle spilled out into the hall. Spike ran after them, barking in agitation as the laughing combatants fought their way through the corridor past stunned Air Force officers and civilian personnel.

Cam ducked to avoid a blow to the head, then twisted to fend off another strike of Vala's broomstick, and caught sight of Jackson as he raced around the corner. The stunned archaeologist skidded to a halt and his mouth dropped open. Carolyn appeared next, followed by a security detail, who had probably been alerted by the noise of the clashing mock-weapons and the barking beagle.

"Vala! Mitchell! Are you both _crazy_?" Jackson yelled.

Before either of them could muster an answer, the elevator door at the end of the hall slid open. Teal'c and Bra'tac strode out into the chaos, and the Master shot a questioning glance at his former pupil. Spike ran over to them, pressing himself against Teal'c's leg, and the Jaffa quickly bent to pick up the puppy.

"I believe they are attempting to reenact a well known duel between legendary warriors Darth Vader and Obi-Wan Kenobi," he explained calmly to Bra'tac, hugging the worried dog against his chest.

"Ah," nodded Bra'tac. "It would appear that ValaMalDoran has taken on the role of Darth Vader."

"What?" Cam's head swiveled toward them. "Vader _kills_ Obi-Wan on the Death Star!"

Vala took advantage of his momentary distraction to wrest the mop handle from his grip. It flew out of his hand, spinning away to clatter against the wall, and she held her broom against his neck with a bright grin. "See?"

"Listen, Vala, don't kill him," Carolyn spoke up. "We've still got a movie date tonight."  



	38. Speculation

  
Carolyn was still smiling to herself as she and Cam walked onto the elevator. Although it was usually amusing to see Vala learning about aspects of popular culture like Star Wars, there had to be an element of gratification in it for the other members of SG-1. Despite the circumstances under which she had joined the SGC, Vala had proven herself a valuable and dedicated member of the program's flagship team. Given her background, her teammates must really enjoy seeing her take to the aspects of life on earth that they regarded as everyday. 

"Let's see…Charlie Brown…Star Wars…what's next on the agenda?" she asked as the elevator door slid closed.

"I'm thinking maybe _Giligan's Island_," Cam replied.

"I hate _Giligan's Island,_" Carolyn wrinkled her nose.

"Well, there's The Simpsons, but we figured we oughta leave that to General O'Neill," said Cam.

"Yeah, I guess you're right," Carolyn admitted.

"Well, what about baseball in the spring?" he asked.

"She'd probably think it was boring," Carolyn shook her head.

"Bond?" Cam suggested.

"Oh, what about Indiana Jones?" Carolyn grinned.

"Carolyn, she's got a fixation with archaeologists already," Cam said.

"Exactly," her grin widened.

"You're devious, ain'tcha?" he laughed.

"I can be. Let's see…there's _Lord of the Rings_. Bet she'd actually read it, too, now that she's discovered the library. Oh, has Teal'c shown her tabloids yet?"

"I don't think so," Cam shook his head. "But y'know, for all she loves shopping, she avoids the grocery store like a plague."

"She does like Wal-Mart," Carolyn reminded him.

"True enough. So okay. Teal'c will show her tabloids. Maybe we can start doing team movie night or something. Or, wait. Not just team," he corrected himself.

"I don't have to come," she shook her head dismissively.

"Course you do," Cam told her. "We wouldn't have Spike if not for you."

"Okay," she laughed. "Well, we've got_ Lord of the Rings. The Princess Bride_--oh, what about _Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves?"_

"How bout Lethal Weapon instead?" Cam attempted.

"_Lethal Weapon!_" Carolyn exclaimed.

"What's wrong with Lethal Weapon…?"

The discussion continued all the way to the surface, then faded into companionable silence as they stepped off the elevator and went through the last security checkpoint. Cam held the door for her as they left, despite the fact that it had a motion sensor and would have stayed open anyway. She smiled again, slipping past him into the parking lot, where a light snow was beginning to fall.

He followed her out, then quickly caught up with her as they made their way through the rows of vehicles toward his truck. Neither spoke at first, walking in the same easy silence that had begun in the hallway a few minutes before. Small white plumes of frost hung in the air with every breath, and she had to force herself not to laugh at the way the snow clung to his eyebrows.

"Hey, how's your dad?" he asked.

"He seems fine," she replied with a shrug.

"Told ya, didn't I?" he grinned as they reached the truck. He held open the door for her again, offering her a hand into the cab.

"Yeah," she smiled as she accepted. "You did."

After Cam and Carolyn left, Teal'c and Bra'tac politely declined Vala's movie invitation, walking off in the direction of the Jaffa's quarters. Vala looked after them with a sigh, then squared her shoulders and smiled down at Spike, who had returned to her side as soon as the mock-duel ended.

"Well, I guess it's just you and me again, boy," she told him.

Daniel pinched the bridge of his nose. "Okay."

"Okay what, darling?" she asked, glancing over her shoulder.

"Okay, I'll come watch _Star Wars_ with you," he sighed.

"Well, Daniel, you're under no obligation to watch a movie with us," she reminded him, turning to look at him.

"I know that," he said.

"You don't sound very enthusiastic," she pointed out.

"Sorry," he said, walking over to slip his arm around her. "I'm just wondering how I'm going to explain to General Landry that I didn't get those translations finished."

"Tell him Darth Vader kidnapped you," she suggested, her arms coiling about his waist.

"I don't think that's going to work," he laughed, hugging her affectionately.

"Well, he may have something else on his mind anyway," Vala told him.

"What do you mean?" he frowned.

"I think our fearless leader is about to make a conquest of the general's daughter," she winked.

"Vala!" Daniel glared half-heartedly.

"Well," she shrugged. "At the very least, he'll kiss her goodnight."


	39. The Stage Is Set

  
The light snow which had begun when Cam and Carolyn left the base had become a full-fledged storm by the time they reached the deserted parking lot outside New World Cinemas in Colorado Springs. Cam turned the engine off but left the heater running as he and Carolyn stared out at the uninviting swirl of white outside his windshield. He rubbed his eyes.

"We gotta be the only two people here," he said speculatively.

"If it gets much worse, they might close early anyway," she nodded.

"Do you wanna go in?"

She pursed her lips a bit crookedly and wrinkled her nose as she considered the question. Neither of them was particularly enthused about the cold, howling wind, and heavy wet snow. On the other hand, she had a thing about Charlotte's Web. She had told him that when she was a kid, she had a copy of the book that she carried everywhere, which was the main reason that he had agreed to see the movie with her. This early on, a movie date was less about watching the movie than about feeling one another out. Later on they'd be about feeling other things, and finally, if everything went the way Cam anticipated, they'd be settling into comfortable routine and actually paying more attention to the movie than each other in a few months. Of course, by then the movies would probably be rented, but it wouldn't matter so much then.

"Well, I wouldn't want you drive all the way here for nothing. And SG-1's due to go offworld again in a few days. Who knows when we'll get to see another movie," she said.

He gave her a knowing grin. "And by then Charlotte's Web might be out of the theater and you'd have to watch an action flick with me."

"There's nothing wrong with a little low brow entertainment once in a while," she teased back.

"Oh, very funny," he said as he pulled his key from the ignition and pushed open the driver's side door.

"I thought so," she called over her shoulder, hopping out of the shotgun seat.

The wind stung the exposed skin of his face and bit sharply even through the heavy, fleece-lined jacket he wore. He jogged around the front of the truck, skirting the bumper with unconscious grace. She was leaning against the shotgun side, trying to shield her back from the wind, with her hands stuffed deep in her pockets as she waited for him. They fell into step together, not really talking since their main mutual interest at this point was to reach the doors. Without thinking about it, he moved closer to her, slipping his arm around her shoulders. She leaned into him, and he could feel her shiver slightly as the warmth of his body offset the cold and made her aware of her own half-frozen state.

Finally, they made it inside and both gave a loud sigh of relief as the heat of the lobby wrapped itself around them and surrounded them with the familiar, welcome aroma of movie theater popcorn. The bright red carpet was soiled with dirty, wet shoe tracks, bits of unmelted snow ground in to them, but that was the only sign of other patrons. A single teenage girl manned the ticket counter, her blonde hair held up in a high pony-tail. As they walked up, she was busy filing her nails, obviously not expecting any customers.

"Oh!" her mouth popped open as she looked up at them, and she hurriedly stuffed the emery board under the counter. "Can I help you?"

Cam hid a smile and asked for the tickets. The show was due to start in another minute, but since no one was in the lobby, they had no trouble getting snacks and drinks before show-time. He decided to display his gentlemanly qualities and offer to carry everything, fully expecting Carolyn to tell him that she could carry her own stuff. Instead he found himself loaded down with two tubs of popcorn—they couldn't share because the amount of butter and salt he asked for made her give him a long and decidedly doctorish look of disapproval—a cardboard drink holder containing two Cokes, boxes of M&Ms, Ju Ju Bees, and a Milky Way bar.

He bore the slave-duty with good grace. After all, it had been his idea. Hopefully it would at least score him a few points. She didn't seem overly impressed with this show of gallantry, but that didn't mean much. If she actually made a big deal about being impressed with anything like that on a first date, it probably meant she couldn't think of anything else to say, which wouldn't be a good sign.

It turned out that they were, indeed, the only two people in the theater. Previews had started as they slipped inside, making their way into the oddly empty room. Making his way down the aisle, Cam felt a sudden tightening in his stomach, and he wished that he could juggle the food he was carrying enough so that he could reach the straw that was sticking out of his Coke. He licked his lips and tried to shake off the feeling that someone was going to burst into the auditorium at any moment and say "Ah-ha! Caught you this time!"

When he was about ten years old, he and three of his friends had snuck into the movie house after hours. The first time, it was mainly for the thrill of getting away with something that they knew they shouldn't be doing. Then they needed a place go to look at the magazines that Billy Malone had swiped from a box in his older brother's closet, and it became a regular habit until someone finally boarded up the broken basement window that they'd wormed their way in through. Since then, every time he walked into a theater that was either empty or so close it could have been, he experienced the same dry mouth and sweaty palms. This time, it was General Landry that he kept imagining storming in on them.

"What's wrong?" Carolyn whispered as she edged her way into a row of empty seats.

"Nothin," he replied, whispering himself. 

Then she laughed, "Cam, why are we whispering?"

"Good question."

------

Vala spent the first half of The Empire Strikes Back huffing and complaining about how small Obi-Wan's role was. Then, somehow, she latched back onto her pet peeves, which were the lack of realism in the duel scene between old Ben and Darth Vader in A New Hope and the fact that, in her opinion, Obi-Wan shouldn't have died during that duel anyway. Teal'c apparently agreed with her on both points, and she proceeded to tell Daniel every detail of their last lengthy discussion of the film. They had picked apart the duel so entirely that Daniel almost wondered why they enjoyed Star Wars so much in the first place.

"Well, why don't the two of you re-write it?" he suggested finally.

She stopped short and tilted her head at him. "Re-write it?"

"Sure. If you both hate it that much, just re-write the duel. Make Obi-Wan live, and then figure out how the rest of the Original Trilogy would be different," he said.

"Wouldn't we get sued?" she asked.

"Well, yeah, if you tried to publish it for money. But Teal'c has written a few Star Wars stories. He posts them on explained Daniel.

"He does what?" she frowned. It's a website where fans of different fictional universes share their own writing about the characters from those realities," he told her. "He showed it to me a few years ago. A lot of what's there is just stupid—or so badly written I don't know why anybody would bother posting it. But his stories are actually really good, and he showed me a few of the authors he likes."

"So, it's just for fun?"

He nodded. "Sometimes I guess fans have ideas that just don't fit in with what's happening in the show, or movie or whatever it is. So, they write it themselves. Or, in some cases, when the official story is over they just want to keep going, so they do."

"Hmm," she nodded slowly. "I think I like this idea."


	40. Sideswiped

  
Cam tried to slide into the conference room without fanfare. He had a file-folder in hand and kept his face in front of it, as if absorbed in what he was reading. Unfortunately for him, Landry was also late, which meant that the team had been sitting for at least fifteen minutes with nothing to do except speculate as to how his date with Carolyn had gone. He gave a mental sigh. He must have been crazy to think anything else would happen. Without even lowering the folder, he could feel four pairs of eyes glued to him.

He slowly walked to the table, pulled back an empty chair across from Jackson and Vala, then lowered himself into it, all without looking up. Vala tapped her nails impatiently on the table. He peered over the top of the folder at her. Then he pretended to go back to reading.

"Well, come on, Mitchell!" she huffed.

Slowly and deliberately, he placed the file-folder on the table in front of him, laid the tips of his fingers on it, and pushed it away. Then he looked around and scratched his earlobe.

"Anyone seen Landry?"

"No, as a matter of fact I haven't," Jackson said, his brow wrinkling.

"I'm sure he'll be along any moment," Vala prompted, leaning Cam impatiently.

"Hmm," he planted his chin in his fist and frowned as if in thought.

"My dear Colonel, you are not fooling me one bit," Vala said icily.

He tilted his head in feigned confusion, "Bout what?"

"You know we're waiting to hear about last night!" she exclaimed.

"Last…night?" he tilted his head the other way.

"You'd better tell her something, Cam," Sam chuckled. "She might explode soon."

"I very well might!" Vala wrapped her knuckles on the table in annoyance.

"Nothing happened," he said flatly.

"Oh, come on!" complained Vala.

"What?" he raised his eyebrows at her.

"Something must have happened! You were late this morning. You are never late!" she exclaimed.

"I got sideswiped on the way to work," he said honestly. "I knew y'all were gonna be sittin' here waitin' to hear some big secret, too, but that's what happened."  
"You're kidding me," Jackson said dryly.

"You must be joking!"

"I'm not," insisted Cam. "I hugged her goodnight. That's it. I swear!"

"Hugged?" Vala stared at him with a distinct air of betrayal. "Hugged?"

"Some of us know how to be gentlemen on the first date," Cam remarked.

"Yes, well, my first date with Daniel involved a multimillion dollar theft, weapons' grade naquadah and some very angry mercenaries. I can't really blame him for getting over-excited," Vala shrugged.

"Vala!" he exclaimed as the rest of the team began to laugh.

"What…?"

"It wasn't a date!"

"Come now, darling, don't start this again," she sighed.

Before Jackson could issue more complaints, Carolyn appeared in the doorway. He took one look at her and knew instantly that something wasn't right. Her face was drawn and pinched with anger, her shoulders held stiff and tense, and she bustled into the room in full doctor-mode. She paled as she saw that the chair at the head of the table was still empty, and the anger drained away.

"Hey, doc, what's up?" he asked, frowning.

"I was hoping that my father would be here," she replied, setting off another set of alarm-bells in his mind. On base, she very rarely called the general anything but "sir"; she didn't want their personal relationship influencing her rapport with her potential patients. Not to mention the fact that their personal relationship wasn't always so hot.

"Oh—he had that physical this morning, didn't he?" Cam realized.

"He didn't show up," she said worriedly.

Cam's eyebrow rose, and he moved his eyes quickly over each member of his team. "And nobody's seen him?"

Jackson and Vala both shook their heads. Sam murmured a negative, and Teal'c frowned. 

"I have not," he replied.

"All right, let's give him a call," Cam said, reaching for the speakerphone in the center of the table. He dialed the general's home phone from memory, then waited as the soft pulse of the phone filtered over the speaker. Once. Twice. Three times. Becoming more and more ominous with each ring. His voice mail picked up, and Cam stabbed his finger down on the disconnect button.

He pushed himself to his feet, his eyes locked with Carolyn's dark ones as he gave a soft order to the members of SG-1. "Let's go." 


	41. Scramble

  
Heart pounding, Carolyn whirled and hurried into the hall, not waiting for the rest of Cam's team to follow him out. She headed for the elevator without stopping to grab her coat or keys from her office. SG-1 clattered after her, talking in soft voices as they moved. They were so familiar with one another that they needed only a few words to organize six people.

"My car's closest," Sam said.

"Me and Carolyn'll follow in my truck," Cam nodded once as they all squeezed onto the elevator.  
Carolyn said nothing, feeling her throat tighten with fear and guilt. She should have realized something was wrong when he'd started complaining about the headaches; she should have done something. It didn't matter that she'd done exactly what her professional instincts told her to do—he was her father.  
The elevator had never moved so slowly. The journey to the surface never seemed so endless. No one really said anything; they didn't need to, and she simply couldn't. Cam's arm slipped quietly around her shoulders, and he drew her against his side, lowering his lips into her hair.

"It'll be all right," he promised, not in the tender and reassuring voice of a lover but with the authority of Colonel Mitchell, calm and confident in the midst of crisis. If had been any other crisis, she would have done the same thing with her own professional persona. She closed her eyes against tears and breathed him, drawing comfort from the strength of his arm.

As they reached the surface level, Sam pulled her cell phone from her pocket. She flipped it open and thumbed a number on speed dial, holding it to her ear. The elevator door opened and the whole group moved in a tight, rushed knot through the hall.

"Sir, we think there's something wrong at General Landry's," Sam was saying into the phone, automatically reverting into the habit of using military address even though General O'Neill was her fiancé. "The team's on the way; can you meet us?"

Tears stung Carolyn's eyes as Cam ushered them through the last checkpoint. Moving out into the brisk January sun, they split into two groups, with Sam, Teal'c, Daniel and Vala making for Sam's car while she and Cam raced to the truck. He unlocked the passenger side door for her and scrambled around to the other side. She had pulled the door shut and buckled her seatbelt by the time he climbed into the cab.

Needing distraction, she switched on the radio as he started the engine. He'd been listening to a country station on the way to work, and what she heard now was a clear-voiced female artist singing earnestly about love and destiny. She wasn't sure why, but the tears that she had felt before suddenly began streaming down her cheeks. She twisted the radio knob back off and sighed impatiently at herself, then swiped at her face with the back of her hand.

"You okay?" Cam asked softly.

"Yeah," she lied.

His hand moved off the steering wheel to cover hers. "Carolyn. We're all gonna feel really silly if he's taking a shower."

"I know," she sniffled, forcing a smile she didn't feel. He knew it wasn't real, but he didn't push. Both of them knew that her father didn't oversleep; both of them knew that he wasn't an alarmist. He wouldn't have taken SG-1 off base on a cross-town jaunt through traffic without good reason, and her father wouldn't have been late for work for any reason. Except one… 


	42. Dust

  
Carolyn didn't have a key, so Vala picked the lock to get them inside. They walked through the back door into the general's kitchen, where a gallon of chocolate ice cream, now caved in at the sides, sat dripping goop down the counter. Hand signals deployed the rest of SG-1 through the house, while Cam and Carolyn ran for the stairs. His bedroom was at the far end of the hall, and the door was open, but Cam didn't immediately see him. He paused long enough to open the bathroom door, but the only thing in there was a wet green towel that the general had apparently left on the floor after taking a shower last night. They moved quickly down to the bedroom, and he let Carolyn slide ahead of him as his eyes scanned the room.

"Dad?" she called.

The bed was a mess, but not in such a way as to indicate that it had been slept in. The sheets and blankets had all been pulled to one side, as if—Carolyn caught sight of something at the same moment and rushed around the bed, falling onto her knees on the far side of it. Cam dove for the phone on the bedside table, dialing 911 before she even had the general onto his back.

"He's breathing," she said. "Pulse and respiration are steady but escalated—Dad, can you hear me?"

The next few minutes passed in a blur for him. Carolyn worked to stabilize her father while he stayed on the phone with the emergency dispatcher. The team clattered up the stairs but waited in the hall to stay out of the way of the emergency crew, which arrived shortly after. Carolyn backed off, though reluctantly, to allow the paramedics to do their jobs. Most of what she said to them--aside from the discussion about the recent headaches and the general's known medical history—went over his head.  
They loaded him onto a stretcher and carried him downstairs with Carolyn sticking as close as she could to him. Cam and the rest of the team followed them down, and General O'Neill's truck pulled up as they emerged from the house. Cam helped Carolyn into the back of the ambulance, giving her a quick hug and a whispered reassurance, then jogged back to where the rest of SG-1 stood watching from the steps.

"Mitchell, what's the situation?" General O'Neill asked, sprinting up from the truck at the same time.

"Dr. Lam and I found him unconscious, sir," he replied. "Don't know much more'n that yet."

The general nodded.

Sam moved away from Vala and stepped toward him, and he automatically leaned forward to hug her.

"I don't want Carolyn to be alone at the hospital," Cam said. "Somebody's gonna have to go back inside, find the general something to put on besides that bathrobe, and lock up."

"We'll stay," Sam said, slipping her hand into her pocket to give Daniel her keys. "We can take Jack's truck and follow you."  



	43. The Waiting Game

  
Carolyn was pacing like a caged animal in the waiting room when he arrived. He strode up to her, laying his hand on her shoulder from behind. She turned, mouth open to snap something he imagined wouldn't be flattering, until she realized who he was. Then she flung her arms around his neck.

"Do we know anything?" he asked as he returned the hug.

"Not yet," she shook her head against his shoulder. Breaking the hug, she walked over to one of the empty couches, but instead of sitting down, she began to pace again. Cam debated whether or not to try to get her to stop then shook his head and sat down himself. He hated hospital waiting rooms, hated the helplessness of having to sit and do nothing, with no information, while somewhere inside, a person he cared about was hurt—maybe dying. The difference between him and Carolyn, though, was that he was used to being on this side. She was a doctor. She was used to being the one who could do something, and nothing he said was going to make her less restless now, when her father was the one inside and she could do nothing but wait until someone else came out to tell them what was going on.

"They pushed him through triage and got him stabilized. He's still unconscious, and they're running tests. That's all I've heard," she said.

He nodded. That was about what he'd expected. "How are you doing?" he asked.

"What?" she looked up, startled by the question.

"How are you doing?" he repeated.

She opened her mouth and started to say something—probably an automatic dismissal—then she closed it again with a clack. Crossing her arms, she frowned and looked at him carefully, actually considering the question.

"I think I'm going to go crazy," she said.

His only reply was to hold out his hand to her. She stared at it without comprehension for a moment, then slowly moved toward the couch and slipped her own hand into it. He covered it with his other one and nodded again, this time in understanding.

"Been there."

"I feel like this is my fault," she confessed. "And if someone doesn't come out here soon and tell me what's happening, I'm going to rip a wall down."

"It ain't your fault," he shook his head. "And don't worry, the urge to rip walls down is normal."

The faintest trace of a smile flickered over her lips. "So where is everybody?"

"Jackson and Vala are downstairs getting coffee and stale chips from the snack machine. We figured it was gonna be a long haul. Sam and General O'Neill were gonna grab some clothes for your dad and lock up the house," he explained.

From the way she blinked at him, he guessed that none of those things had even crossed her mind. He smiled a little, having once again expected as much. "Figured nobody'd really think it was so damn hilarious if it turned out to be the base commander saying 'I forgot my pants' this time."

Her gaze flicked away, and she stared at the beige carpet, blinking back tears again. "If we're that lucky."

"Carolyn, he's gonna be fine. Whatever's wrong, we'll fix it," he said.

She looked up again, her eyes narrowing and flashing with a hint of real anger. "You don't know that, Cam."

"Yes I do," he promised. "Your dad is too ornery to die—and he sure as hell ain't gonna die in a bathrobe." 


	44. Vigil

  
_Inoperable._

The word echoed through the SGC, bouncing silently off walls and reflected in the stunned faces of the Air Force officers, enlisted men and women, and civilian team members alike. Out of respect, no one spoke the word in the infirmary, where General Landry now lay. In the week following SG-1's panicked trip to his house, the CO had slipped from unconsciousness to the complete unresponsiveness of a coma. An inoperable brain tumor had been discovered, and it had apparently been there for months or even years, too small to be picked up on a CT scan until now. Now, for reasons that no one could quite explain, it had nearly tripled in size. He wasn't expected to live. In fact, he wasn't expected to regain consciousness at all. Somehow, that seemed to be the worst affront of the entire untenable situation. Landry was a vibrant, vigorous man, full of life and energy. He had won the respect of everyone involved in the Stargate Program—well, IOA idiots aside—when he led them through the war with the Ori. It was _insulting_ for a man like that to die in his sleep.

After three days, he had been air lifted from the hospital where he had initially been brought to Cheyenne Mountain. SG-1 remained almost constantly in the infirmary, along with Jack and Carolyn. Offworld activities were temporarily suspended and all SG teams who were not involved in critical activities were called back by tacit agreement of the rest of the program's senior officers. They didn't particularly care what anyone had about it, and neither did Daniel. Like many long-time members of Stargate Command, he hadn't been completely at ease when Jack's most recent promotion placed direct charge of the program in the hands of a stranger. The SGC was a tight-knit, insular group which, with rare exceptions, protected its own at all costs. Landry was not a stranger anymore; he was their leader as much as Jack O'Neill or George Hammond had been before him. His command style may have been different, but it was not better or worse than either of theirs had been; Daniel wasn't interested in those kinds of comparisons. Landry was simply one of them now, and more than that, he was the one that they had all come to look to for leadership.

Now he was lying in a hospital bed with tubes up his nose, with only the weak ping of a heart monitor to tell them that he was still alive. The infirmary was dark; no one was left here at this late hour but those who were keeping vigil around the general. Coffee, antiseptics, and other hospital smells mingled to create a nauseating aroma which had become so familiar now that, except for the occasional stomach-lurch, Daniel didn't notice it.

"There has to be something. Some way to get it out of his head," muttered Mitchell, who was chewing pensively on his knuckle as he spoke.

"I don't know how," Carolyn said with a touch of defensiveness. "I've been over and over it! I can't remove that tumor without doing so much damage that he—"

"I know," Mitchell held up his hand apologetically. "I didn't mean it that way. It's just—"

"Let it go, Mitchell," Jack spoke up, quietly but with a subtle authority that made it more an order than a suggestion.

"Yes, sir."

Daniel rubbed his eyes. Jack had had to do this before. He'd sat in this very room watching over members of his team who weren't expected to recover. In fact, he'd actually watched them die. He hated it—hated it more than anything. He despised the helplessness, the sitting and doing nothing when every instinct he had was screaming that he should be out somewhere fixing the situation. The only thing he could do would be what they were all doing now—staying as close as possible to the infirmary until the end came, whatever the end turned out to be. As much as he hated that, Jack had learned to live with it. Mitchell's instincts and experience still told him that every problem had a solution. What couldn't be conquered or subdued could be circumvented; what couldn't be circumvented could be tricked. They had rooms full of alien technology. Most of it was only partially understood, but they had Sam Carter, and she now had the Asgard knowledge base aboard the Odyssey.

Daniel straightened. "Sam…?"

She turned toward him precisely at the same moment. "It's risky."

"What?" Carolyn's head snapped toward them.

"I don't think there's a choice," Daniel said.

"What?!" now Mitchell sat up straighter as well.

"To what are you and DanielJackson referring, ColonelCarter?"

"Oh, come on, Sam, this is not the time to keep secrets," urged Vala.

"The Asgard beam," Sam explained, handing her coffee to Jack and pushing herself to her feet. "Carolyn, I'll need all of his last CT scans and MRIs."

"Right," Carolyn released her father's hand and snapped to her feet as well, beginning to bustle around the infirmary collecting charts and folders.

Jack's eyes widened. "You're gonna _beam it_ out of his _head_?"

"We know it can be used to remove Goa'uld symbiotes," said Sam as she headed for the door. "They're a lot bigger, but the principle is the same. If I can recalibrate the device to operate on a scale that small, it should work."

"Anything we can do?" Cam asked.

Carolyn and Sam both stopped and turned to look at one another. The exchange of glances was brief but laden with fears that neither woman needed to voice. Then Carolyn looked at him.

"Pray."

"I can do that," Cam said firmly. Daniel, Vala, Teal'c, and finally Jack all gave slow nods of agreement. 


	45. Horizon Events

  
Hank Landry slowly opened his eyes to take in a vaguely familiar white blur which was occasionally interrupted by other, blob shaped blurs that appeared to be mostly blue, with shades of black, brown, yellow, and skin tones. He blinked, wrinkled his nose, and squinted his eyes shut again. When he opened them the next time, the SGC's infirmary wavered into view, and he discovered that the biggest of those blurs was, in fact, his daughter. The other ones were Mitchell, Jackson, Carter, Vala, Teal'c, and Jack O'Neill. 

"Why does my head feel like somebody drilled a hole in it?" he demanded of Carolyn, then he winced at the strained and gravelly tone of his own voice.

"Well, that would have been our next option, sir," quipped Mitchell.

"What?" Landry asked sharply.

"What's the last thing you remember?" smiled Carolyn, laying her hand on his wrist. Her fingers tightened, and he frowned, attempting to lift his head from the pillow.

His head protested violently, and he let himself fall back again. "Bad idea."

"Mmm-hmm," Carolyn's smile widened.

"Well. Last thing I remember—taking a shower last night—oh, damn! I forgot to put away the ice cream, didn't I?" he sighed heavily.

"Don't worry, sir, we took care of it," Mitchell chuckled.

"We?" Jack arched an eyebrow.

"Okay, General O'Neill cleaned up the ice cream. But that was after the rest of us found you on your bedroom floor," Mitchell said.

"What?" Landry's eyes widened.

"In your bathrobe," nodded Vala with a grin, her hand moving absently to scratch the ears of the beagle puppy whose paws were draped over her arm.

Landry raised his free hand to his eyes. "Great."

"That was nine days ago, Dad," explained Carolyn. "You've been a coma for most of that time."

"Huh…?"

"Those headaches you were having? Turns out that they were caused by a brain tumor. Colonel Carter used the Asgard beam to remove it yesterday…"

Landry held up his hand. "Carolyn. Would you do me a favor and explain this all to me again when the hole in my head goes away?"

------

Sam and Jack's wedding was held that spring in General Hammond's backyard. Cassie Fraiser was Sam's maid of honor, with Carolyn and Vala as bridesmaids. Daniel stood up for Jack, while Cam and Teal'c argued over the position of head usher right up until the day of the ceremony, when Sam appointed them both to the position.

Daniel had never seen Sam so radiant or Jack so nervous. He fumbled with the ring and almost dropped it, but Daniel made sure he didn't. He fought the urge to laugh, and at the same time found himself having to surreptitiously remove his glasses and wipe his eyes. Everyone there knew, to one degree or another, how long this day had been in coming, but of the guests, only Daniel and Teal'c had truly seen the pain of sacrifice that that their teammates had silently endured. None of them had ever spoken of iti—there was no need to among the members of SG-1—but now, with the day finally here, even Teal'c's mouth widened in a satisfied smile. Then, as the happy couple shared a kiss, Vala's grin was decidedly smug, but Daniel decided to let her have her moment of triumph without a reprimand from him.

The bridesmaids and other female guests vied hotly for the bouquet, but in the end, the coveted prize was won by Spike the beagle. The girls all let loose with a chorus of shrieking protests and took off to chase the dog—except Sam, who only covered her face with her hand and shook her head, and Vala, who calmly walked away from the group, whistled, and then beamed at Daniel when the dog scampered up to her and dropped the flowers at her feet.

"I did not plan this," she said firmly, but no one particularly believed her.

The wedding party had seen to it that Jack's pick-up truck was appropriately decorated, and as the newly married O'Neills drove off into the conveniently setting sun, Mitchell turned and took Carolyn in his arms while her father looked on with a grin of approval. Their lips met, and Daniel slid his arm around Vala's shoulders.

"Well, honey, what are you going to do now? Looks like there's no more matchmaking for you to do."

Vala lifted her shoulder in a half shrug and smirked. "Well, darling. I can always work on making sure we have some more weddings."

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My apologies to readers. I was quite tired when I uploaded this fic and apparently neglected to change its status from in progress to complete. There are sequels planned (eventually) but Games ends here.


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